6 research outputs found
Computing with functions in spherical and polar geometries I. The sphere
A collection of algorithms is described for numerically computing with smooth
functions defined on the unit sphere. Functions are approximated to essentially
machine precision by using a structure-preserving iterative variant of Gaussian
elimination together with the double Fourier sphere method. We show that this
procedure allows for stable differentiation, reduces the oversampling of
functions near the poles, and converges for certain analytic functions.
Operations such as function evaluation, differentiation, and integration are
particularly efficient and can be computed by essentially one-dimensional
algorithms. A highlight is an optimal complexity direct solver for Poisson's
equation on the sphere using a spectral method. Without parallelization, we
solve Poisson's equation with million degrees of freedom in one minute on
a standard laptop. Numerical results are presented throughout. In a companion
paper (part II) we extend the ideas presented here to computing with functions
on the disk.Comment: 23 page
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
Spectral Methods for Numerical Relativity
Version published online by Living Reviews in Relativity.International audienceEquations arising in General Relativity are usually too complicated to be solved analytically and one has to rely on numerical methods to solve sets of coupled partial differential equations. Among the possible choices, this paper focuses on a class called spectral methods where, typically, the various functions are expanded onto sets of orthogonal polynomials or functions. A theoretical introduction on spectral expansion is first given and a particular emphasis is put on the fast convergence of the spectral approximation. We present then different approaches to solve partial differential equations, first limiting ourselves to the one-dimensional case, with one or several domains. Generalization to more dimensions is then discussed. In particular, the case of time evolutions is carefully studied and the stability of such evolutions investigated. One then turns to results obtained by various groups in the field of General Relativity by means of spectral methods. First, works which do not involve explicit time-evolutions are discussed, going from rapidly rotating strange stars to the computation of binary black holes initial data. Finally, the evolutions of various systems of astrophysical interest are presented, from supernovae core collapse to binary black hole mergers