26,640 research outputs found
Testing the Accuracy and Stability of Spectral Methods in Numerical Relativity
The accuracy and stability of the Caltech-Cornell pseudospectral code is
evaluated using the KST representation of the Einstein evolution equations. The
basic "Mexico City Tests" widely adopted by the numerical relativity community
are adapted here for codes based on spectral methods. Exponential convergence
of the spectral code is established, apparently limited only by numerical
roundoff error. A general expression for the growth of errors due to finite
machine precision is derived, and it is shown that this limit is achieved here
for the linear plane-wave test. All of these tests are found to be stable,
except for simulations of high amplitude gauge waves with nontrivial shift.Comment: Final version, as published in Phys. Rev. D; 13 pages, 16 figure
Self-force with (3+1) codes: a primer for numerical relativists
Prescriptions for numerical self-force calculations have traditionally been
designed for frequency-domain or (1+1) time-domain codes which employ a mode
decomposition to facilitate in carrying out a delicate regularization scheme.
This has prevented self-force analyses from benefiting from the powerful suite
of tools developed and used by numerical relativists for simulations of the
evolution of comparable-mass black hole binaries. In this work, we revisit a
previously-introduced (3+1) method for self-force calculations, and demonstrate
its viability by applying it to the test case of a scalar charge moving in a
circular orbit around a Schwarzschild black hole. Two (3+1) codes originally
developed for numerical relativity applications were independently employed,
and in each we were able to compute the two independent components of the
self-force and the energy flux correctly to within . We also demonstrate
consistency between -component of the self-force and the scalar energy flux.
Our results constitute the first successful calculation of a self-force in a
(3+1) framework, and thus open opportunities for the numerical relativity
community in self-force analyses and the perturbative modeling of
extreme-mass-ratio inspirals.Comment: 23 pages, 13 figure
Optimization Methods for Designing Sequences with Low Autocorrelation Sidelobes
Unimodular sequences with low autocorrelations are desired in many
applications, especially in the area of radar and code-division multiple access
(CDMA). In this paper, we propose a new algorithm to design unimodular
sequences with low integrated sidelobe level (ISL), which is a widely used
measure of the goodness of a sequence's correlation property. The algorithm
falls into the general framework of majorization-minimization (MM) algorithms
and thus shares the monotonic property of such algorithms. In addition, the
algorithm can be implemented via fast Fourier transform (FFT) operations and
thus is computationally efficient. Furthermore, after some modifications the
algorithm can be adapted to incorporate spectral constraints, which makes the
design more flexible. Numerical experiments show that the proposed algorithms
outperform existing algorithms in terms of both the quality of designed
sequences and the computational complexity
Characteristic Evolution and Matching
I review the development of numerical evolution codes for general relativity
based upon the characteristic initial value problem. Progress in characteristic
evolution is traced from the early stage of 1D feasibility studies to 2D
axisymmetric codes that accurately simulate the oscillations and gravitational
collapse of relativistic stars and to current 3D codes that provide pieces of a
binary black hole spacetime. Cauchy codes have now been successful at
simulating all aspects of the binary black hole problem inside an artificially
constructed outer boundary. A prime application of characteristic evolution is
to extend such simulations to null infinity where the waveform from the binary
inspiral and merger can be unambiguously computed. This has now been
accomplished by Cauchy-characteristic extraction, where data for the
characteristic evolution is supplied by Cauchy data on an extraction worldtube
inside the artificial outer boundary. The ultimate application of
characteristic evolution is to eliminate the role of this outer boundary by
constructing a global solution via Cauchy-characteristic matching. Progress in
this direction is discussed.Comment: New version to appear in Living Reviews 2012. arXiv admin note:
updated version of arXiv:gr-qc/050809
Discontinuous Galerkin methods for general-relativistic hydrodynamics: formulation and application to spherically symmetric spacetimes
We have developed the formalism necessary to employ the
discontinuous-Galerkin approach in general-relativistic hydrodynamics. The
formalism is firstly presented in a general 4-dimensional setting and then
specialized to the case of spherical symmetry within a 3+1 splitting of
spacetime. As a direct application, we have constructed a one-dimensional code,
EDGES, which has been used to asses the viability of these methods via a series
of tests involving highly relativistic flows in strong gravity. Our results
show that discontinuous Galerkin methods are able not only to handle strong
relativistic shock waves but, at the same time, to attain very high orders of
accuracy and exponential convergence rates in smooth regions of the flow. Given
these promising prospects and their affinity with a pseudospectral solution of
the Einstein equations, discontinuous Galerkin methods could represent a new
paradigm for the accurate numerical modelling in relativistic astrophysics.Comment: 24 pages, 19 figures. Small changes; matches version to appear in PR
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