45,780 research outputs found
The Singularity in Generic Gravitational Collapse Is Spacelike, Local, and Oscillatory
A longstanding conjecture by Belinskii, Khalatnikov, and Lifshitz that the
singularity in generic gravitational collapse is spacelike, local, and
oscillatory is explored analytically and numerically in spatially inhomogeneous
cosmological spacetimes. With a convenient choice of variables, it can be seen
analytically how nonlinear terms in Einstein's equations control the approach
to the singularity and cause oscillatory behavior. The analytic picture
requires the drastic assumption that each spatial point evolves toward the
singularity as an independent spatially homogeneous universe. In every case,
detailed numerical simulations of the full Einstein evolution equations support
this assumption.Comment: 7 pages includes 4 figures. Uses Revtex and psfig. Received
"honorable mention" in 1998 Gravity Research Foundation essay contest.
Submitted to Mod. Phys. Lett.
Hunting Local Mixmaster Dynamics in Spatially Inhomogeneous Cosmologies
Heuristic arguments and numerical simulations support the Belinskii et al
(BKL) claim that the approach to the singularity in generic gravitational
collapse is characterized by local Mixmaster dynamics (LMD). Here, one way to
identify LMD in collapsing spatially inhomogeneous cosmologies is explored. By
writing the metric of one spacetime in the standard variables of another,
signatures for LMD may be found. Such signatures for the dynamics of spatially
homogeneous Mixmaster models in the variables of U(1)-symmetric cosmologies are
reviewed. Similar constructions for U(1)-symmetric spacetimes in terms of the
dynamics of generic -symmetric spacetime are presented.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures. Contribution to CQG Special Issue "A Spacetime
Safari: Essays in Honour of Vincent Moncrief
Evidence for an oscillatory singularity in generic U(1) symmetric cosmologies on
A longstanding conjecture by Belinskii, Lifshitz, and Khalatnikov that the
singularity in generic gravitational collapse is locally oscillatory is tested
numerically in vacuum, U(1) symmetric cosmological spacetimes on . If the velocity term dominated (VTD) solution to Einstein's equations is
substituted into the Hamiltonian for the full Einstein evolution equations, one
term is found to grow exponentially. This generates a prediction that
oscillatory behavior involving this term and another (which the VTD solution
causes to decay exponentially) should be observed in the approach to the
singularity. Numerical simulations strongly support this prediction.Comment: 15 pages, Revtex, includes 12 figures, psfig. High resolution
versions of figures 7, 8, 9, and 11 may be obtained from anonymous ftp to
ftp://vela.acs.oakland.edu/pub/berger/u1genfig
Harmonic coordinate method for simulating generic singularities
This paper presents both a numerical method for general relativity and an
application of that method. The method involves the use of harmonic coordinates
in a 3+1 code to evolve the Einstein equations with scalar field matter. In
such coordinates, the terms in Einstein's equations with the highest number of
derivatives take a form similar to that of the wave equation. The application
is an exploration of the generic approach to the singularity for this type of
matter. The preliminary results indicate that the dynamics as one approaches
the singularity is locally the dynamics of the Kasner spacetimes.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Revtex, discussion expanded, references adde
On the area of the symmetry orbits in symmetric spacetimes
We obtain a global existence result for the Einstein equations. We show that
in the maximal Cauchy development of vacuum symmetric initial data with
nonvanishing twist constant, except for the special case of flat Kasner initial
data, the area of the group orbits takes on all positive values. This
result shows that the areal time coordinate which covers these spacetimes
runs from zero to infinity, with the singularity occurring at R=0.Comment: The appendix which appears in version 1 has a technical problem (the
inequality appearing as the first stage of (52) is not necessarily true), and
since the appendix is unnecessary for the proof of our results, we leave it
out. version 2 -- clarifications added, version 3 -- reference correcte
The Angular Size and Proper Motion of the Afterglow of GRB 030329
The bright, nearby (z=0.1685) gamma-ray burst of 29 March 2003 has presented
us with the first opportunity to directly image the expansion of a GRB. This
burst reached flux density levels at centimeter wavelengths more than 50 times
brighter than any previously studied event. Here we present the results of a
VLBI campaign using the VLBA, VLA, Green Bank, Effelsberg, Arecibo, and
Westerbork telescopes that resolves the radio afterglow of GRB 030329 and
constrains its rate of expansion. The size of the afterglow is found to be
\~0.07 mas (0.2 pc) 25 days after the burst, and 0.17 mas (0.5 pc) 83 days
after the burst, indicating an average velocity of 3-5 c. This expansion is
consistent with expectations of the standard fireball model. We measure the
projected proper motion of GRB 030329 in the sky to <0.3 mas in the 80 days
following the burst. In observations taken 52 days after the burst we detect an
additional compact component at a distance from the main component of 0.28 +/-
0.05 mas (0.80 pc). The presence of this component is not expected from the
standard model.Comment: 12 pages including 2 figures, LaTeX. Accepted to ApJ Letters on May
14, 200
High velocity spikes in Gowdy spacetimes
We study the behavior of spiky features in Gowdy spacetimes. Spikes with
velocity initially high are, generally, driven to low velocity. Let n be any
integer greater than or equal to 1. If the initial velocity of an upward
pointing spike is between 4n-3 and 4n-1 the spike persists with final velocity
between 1 and 2, while if the initial velocity is between 4n-1 and 4n+1, the
spiky feature eventually disappears. For downward pointing spikes the analogous
rule is that spikes with initial velocity between 4n-4 and 4n-2 persist with
final velocity between 0 and 1, while spikes with initial velocity between 4n-2
and 4n eventually disappear.Comment: discussion of constraints added. Accepted for publication in Phys.
Rev.
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