Validation: src/zephyrus/thermostat.py
This page tracks the @pytest.mark.reference_pinned tests that anchor the statistical-equilibrium cooling of zephyrus.thermostat.
| Test id | Reference | Scope |
|---|---|---|
tests/test_thermostat.py::test_hydrogen_system_brackets_the_black_lyalpha_rate |
Black (1981) Lyman-alpha cooling rate as printed by Murray-Clay et al. (2009), ApJ 693, 23, their Eq. (6) | The hydrogen three-level system agrees with the Black rate at order unity, with the ratio declining from about 0.5 at \(10^{4}\) K to about 0.3 at \(2 \times 10^{4}\) K because the effective collision strengths are frozen at \(10^{4}\) K and the three-level system carries no cascades. The bracket catches transcription errors in the constant and in the exp(-118348 K / T) activation. |
Notes
Identity with the Black fit is not expected and not asserted: the two treatments differ in their collision-strength temperature dependence and cascade content, and the documented drift is part of the anchor. The detailed-balance (LTE) limit and the coronal linearity of the level populations are asserted as physics invariants in the same file.
Anchor type
Published benchmark (order-unity consistency with a printed rate).
Date of last comparison against the sources: 2026-08-20.