A new light synthesis optimization program. Test on simulated Algol data

Simulation of light curve effects in Algol systems that are near contact or that may evolve into contact requires a different model than the tri-axial ellipsoid used in many current studies. A new light synthesis optimization program, based on the Roche model, satisfies the model requirements and determines system parameters with excellent accuracy, given a sufficiently large set of observations.A widely used criterion for stopping iterative solutions is inadequate. A working criterion is proposed as a replacement.