795 research outputs found
Improved outer boundary conditions for Einstein's field equations
In a recent article, we constructed a hierarchy B_L of outer boundary
conditions for Einstein's field equations with the property that, for a
spherical outer boundary, it is perfectly absorbing for linearized
gravitational radiation up to a given angular momentum number L. In this
article, we generalize B_2 so that it can be applied to fairly general
foliations of spacetime by space-like hypersurfaces and general outer boundary
shapes and further, we improve B_2 in two steps: (i) we give a local boundary
condition C_2 which is perfectly absorbing including first order contributions
in 2M/R of curvature corrections for quadrupolar waves (where M is the mass of
the spacetime and R is a typical radius of the outer boundary) and which
significantly reduces spurious reflections due to backscatter, and (ii) we give
a non-local boundary condition D_2 which is exact when first order corrections
in 2M/R for both curvature and backscatter are considered, for quadrupolar
radiation.Comment: accepted Class. Quant. Grav. numerical relativity special issue; 17
pages and 1 figur
Implementation of higher-order absorbing boundary conditions for the Einstein equations
We present an implementation of absorbing boundary conditions for the
Einstein equations based on the recent work of Buchman and Sarbach. In this
paper, we assume that spacetime may be linearized about Minkowski space close
to the outer boundary, which is taken to be a coordinate sphere. We reformulate
the boundary conditions as conditions on the gauge-invariant
Regge-Wheeler-Zerilli scalars. Higher-order radial derivatives are eliminated
by rewriting the boundary conditions as a system of ODEs for a set of auxiliary
variables intrinsic to the boundary. From these we construct boundary data for
a set of well-posed constraint-preserving boundary conditions for the Einstein
equations in a first-order generalized harmonic formulation. This construction
has direct applications to outer boundary conditions in simulations of isolated
systems (e.g., binary black holes) as well as to the problem of
Cauchy-perturbative matching. As a test problem for our numerical
implementation, we consider linearized multipolar gravitational waves in TT
gauge, with angular momentum numbers l=2 (Teukolsky waves), 3 and 4. We
demonstrate that the perfectly absorbing boundary condition B_L of order L=l
yields no spurious reflections to linear order in perturbation theory. This is
in contrast to the lower-order absorbing boundary conditions B_L with L<l,
which include the widely used freezing-Psi_0 boundary condition that imposes
the vanishing of the Newman-Penrose scalar Psi_0.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures. Minor clarifications. Final version to appear in
Class. Quantum Grav
Explicit solution of the linearized Einstein equations in TT gauge for all multipoles
We write out the explicit form of the metric for a linearized gravitational
wave in the transverse-traceless gauge for any multipole, thus generalizing the
well-known quadrupole solution of Teukolsky. The solution is derived using the
generalized Regge-Wheeler-Zerilli formalism developed by Sarbach and Tiglio.Comment: 9 pages. Minor corrections, updated references. Final version to
appear in Class. Quantum Gra
Schwarzschild Tests of the Wahlquist-Estabrook-Buchman-Bardeen Tetrad Formulation for Numerical Relativity
A first order symmetric hyperbolic tetrad formulation of the Einstein
equations developed by Estabrook and Wahlquist and put into a form suitable for
numerical relativity by Buchman and Bardeen (the WEBB formulation) is adapted
to explicit spherical symmetry and tested for accuracy and stability in the
evolution of spherically symmetric black holes (the Schwarzschild geometry).
The lapse and shift which specify the evolution of the coordinates relative to
the tetrad congruence are reset at frequent time intervals to keep the
constant-time hypersurfaces nearly orthogonal to the tetrad congruence and the
spatial coordinate satisfying a kind of minimal rate of strain condition. By
arranging through initial conditions that the constant-time hypersurfaces are
asymptotically hyperbolic, we simplify the boundary value problem and improve
stability of the evolution. Results are obtained for both tetrad gauges
(``Nester'' and ``Lorentz'') of the WEBB formalism using finite difference
numerical methods. We are able to obtain stable unconstrained evolution with
the Nester gauge for certain initial conditions, but not with the Lorentz
gauge.Comment: (accepted by Phys. Rev. D) minor changes; typos correcte
Electrostatic Patch Effect in Cylindrical Geometry. I. Potential and Energy between Slightly Non-Coaxial Cylinders
We study the effect of any uneven voltage distribution on two close
cylindrical conductors with parallel axes that are slightly shifted in the
radial and by any length in the axial direction. The investigation is
especially motivated by certain precision measurements, such as the Satellite
Test of the Equivalence Principle (STEP). By energy conservation, the force can
be found as the energy gradient in the vector of the shift, which requires
determining potential distribution and energy in the gap. The boundary value
problem for the potential is solved, and energy is thus found to the second
order in the small transverse shift, and to lowest order in the gap to cylinder
radius ratio. The energy consists of three parts: the usual capacitor part due
to the uniform potential difference, the one coming from the interaction
between the voltage patches and the uniform voltage difference, and the energy
of patch interaction, entirely independent of the uniform voltage. Patch effect
forces and torques in the cylindrical configuration are derived and analyzed in
the next two parts of this work.Comment: 26 pages, 1 Figure. Submitted to Classical and Quantum Gravit
Testing outer boundary treatments for the Einstein equations
Various methods of treating outer boundaries in numerical relativity are
compared using a simple test problem: a Schwarzschild black hole with an
outgoing gravitational wave perturbation. Numerical solutions computed using
different boundary treatments are compared to a `reference' numerical solution
obtained by placing the outer boundary at a very large radius. For each
boundary treatment, the full solutions including constraint violations and
extracted gravitational waves are compared to those of the reference solution,
thereby assessing the reflections caused by the artificial boundary. These
tests use a first-order generalized harmonic formulation of the Einstein
equations. Constraint-preserving boundary conditions for this system are
reviewed, and an improved boundary condition on the gauge degrees of freedom is
presented. Alternate boundary conditions evaluated here include freezing the
incoming characteristic fields, Sommerfeld boundary conditions, and the
constraint-preserving boundary conditions of Kreiss and Winicour. Rather
different approaches to boundary treatments, such as sponge layers and spatial
compactification, are also tested. Overall the best treatment found here
combines boundary conditions that preserve the constraints, freeze the
Newman-Penrose scalar Psi_0, and control gauge reflections.Comment: Modified to agree with version accepted for publication in Class.
Quantum Gra
Combinations of motor measures more strongly predict adverse health outcomes in old age: the rush memory and aging project, a community-based cohort study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>Motor impairment in old age is a growing public-health concern, and several different constructs have been used to identify motor impairments in older people. We tested the hypothesis that combinations of motor constructs more strongly predict adverse health outcomes in older people.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In total, 949 people without dementia, history of stroke or Parkinson's disease, who were participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project (a longitudinal community-based cohort study), underwent assessment at study entry. From this, three constructs were derived: 1) physical frailty based on grip strength, timed walk, body mass index and fatigue; 2) Parkinsonian Signs Score based on the modified motor section of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale; and 3) a motor construct, based on nine strength measures and nine motor performances. Disability and cognitive status were assessed annually. A series of Cox proportional-hazards models, controlling for age, sex and education, were used to examine the association of each of these three constructs alone and in various combinations with death, disability and Alzheimer's disease (AD).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All three constructs were related (mean <it>r </it>= 0.50, all <it>P </it>< 0.001), and when considered individually in separate proportional-hazards models, were associated with risk of death, incident disability and AD. However, when considered together, combinations of these constructs more strongly predicted adverse health outcomes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Physical frailty, parkinsonian signs score and global motor score are related constructs that capture different aspects of motor function. Assessments using several motor constructs may more accurately identify people at the highest risk of adverse health consequences in old age.</p
Deletion of alpha-synuclein decreases impulsivity in mice
The presynaptic protein alpha-synuclein, associated with Parkinson's Disease (PD), plays a role in dopaminergic neurotransmission and is implicated in impulse control disorders (ICDs) such as drug addiction. In this study we investigated a potential causal relationship between alpha-synuclein and impulsivity, by evaluating differences in motor impulsivity in the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) in strains of mice that differ in the expression of the alpha-synuclein gene. C57BL/6JOlaHsd mice differ from their C57BL/6J ancestors in possessing a chromosomal deletion resulting in the loss of two genes, snca, encoding alpha-synuclein, and mmrn1, encoding multimerin-1. C57BL/6J mice displayed higher impulsivity (more premature responding) than C57BL/6JOlaHsd mice when the pre-stimulus waiting interval was increased in the 5-CSRTT. In order to ensure that the reduced impulsivity was indeed related to snca, and not adjacent gene deletion, wild type (WT) and mice with targeted deletion of alpha-synuclein (KO) were tested in the 5-CSRTT. Similarly, WT mice were more impulsive than mice with targeted deletion of alpha-synuclein. Interrogation of our ongoing analysis of impulsivity in BXD recombinant inbred mouse lines revealed an association of impulsive responding with levels of alpha-synuclein expression in hippocampus. Expression of beta- and gamma-synuclein, members of the synuclein family that may substitute for alpha-synuclein following its deletion, revealed no differential compensations among the mouse strains. These findings suggest that alpha-synuclein may contribute to impulsivity and potentially, to ICDs which arise in some PD patients treated with dopaminergic medication
Numerical Relativity Using a Generalized Harmonic Decomposition
A new numerical scheme to solve the Einstein field equations based upon the
generalized harmonic decomposition of the Ricci tensor is introduced. The
source functions driving the wave equations that define generalized harmonic
coordinates are treated as independent functions, and encode the coordinate
freedom of solutions. Techniques are discussed to impose particular gauge
conditions through a specification of the source functions. A 3D, free
evolution, finite difference code implementing this system of equations with a
scalar field matter source is described. The second-order-in-space-and-time
partial differential equations are discretized directly without the use first
order auxiliary terms, limiting the number of independent functions to
fifteen--ten metric quantities, four source functions and the scalar field.
This also limits the number of constraint equations, which can only be enforced
to within truncation error in a numerical free evolution, to four. The
coordinate system is compactified to spatial infinity in order to impose
physically motivated, constraint-preserving outer boundary conditions. A
variant of the Cartoon method for efficiently simulating axisymmetric
spacetimes with a Cartesian code is described that does not use interpolation,
and is easier to incorporate into existing adaptive mesh refinement packages.
Preliminary test simulations of vacuum black hole evolution and black hole
formation via scalar field collapse are described, suggesting that this method
may be useful for studying many spacetimes of interest.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures; updated to coincide with journal version, which
includes some expanded discussions and a new appendix with a stability
analysis of a simplified problem using the same discretization scheme
described in the pape
Constraint-preserving boundary treatment for a harmonic formulation of the Einstein equations
We present a set of well-posed constraint-preserving boundary conditions for
a first-order in time, second-order in space, harmonic formulation of the
Einstein equations. The boundary conditions are tested using robust stability,
linear and nonlinear waves, and are found to be both less reflective and
constraint preserving than standard Sommerfeld-type boundary conditions.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, accepted in CQ
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