MESA-QUEST: Modeling Quasi-stars in MESA

Abstract Supermassive black hole formation remains an unsolved problem. Quasi-stars have been suggested as a viable heavy-seeding mechanism. In this work, we implement methods for modeling quasi-stars previously used with the Cambridge STARS code into the 1D stellar evolution code Mesa . The computational capabilities of Mesa allow for more detailed simulations of quasi-star evolution due to its modularity and the ease of implementing of new physical processes and controls. Our implementation, the Mesa Quasi-star Evolutionary Simulation Toolkit (MESA-QUEST), is available in a publicly accessible repository.