26 research outputs found
Testing numerical relativity with the shifted gauge wave
Computational methods are essential to provide waveforms from coalescing
black holes, which are expected to produce strong signals for the gravitational
wave observatories being developed. Although partial simulations of the
coalescence have been reported, scientifically useful waveforms have so far not
been delivered. The goal of the AppleswithApples (AwA) Alliance is to design,
coordinate and document standardized code tests for comparing numerical
relativity codes. The first round of AwA tests have now being completed and the
results are being analyzed. These initial tests are based upon periodic
boundary conditions designed to isolate performance of the main evolution code.
Here we describe and carry out an additional test with periodic boundary
conditions which deals with an essential feature of the black hole excision
problem, namely a non-vanishing shift. The test is a shifted version of the
existing AwA gauge wave test. We show how a shift introduces an exponentially
growing instability which violates the constraints of a standard harmonic
formulation of Einstein's equations. We analyze the Cauchy problem in a
harmonic gauge and discuss particular options for suppressing instabilities in
the gauge wave tests. We implement these techniques in a finite difference
evolution algorithm and present test results. Although our application here is
limited to a model problem, the techniques should benefit the simulation of
black holes using harmonic evolution codes.Comment: Submitted to special numerical relativity issue of Classical and
Quantum Gravit
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
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
3D simulations of linearized scalar fields in Kerr spacetime
We investigate the behavior of a dynamical scalar field on a fixed Kerr
background in Kerr-Schild coordinates using a 3+1 dimensional spectral
evolution code, and we measure the power-law tail decay that occurs at late
times. We compare evolutions of initial data proportional to f(r)
Y_lm(theta,phi) where Y_lm is a spherical harmonic and (r,theta,phi) are
Kerr-Schild coordinates, to that of initial data proportional to f(r_BL)
Y_lm(theta_BL,phi), where (r_BL,theta_BL) are Boyer-Lindquist coordinates. We
find that although these two cases are initially almost identical, the
evolution can be quite different at intermediate times; however, at late times
the power-law decay rates are equal.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, revtex4. Major revision: added figures, added
subsection on convergence, clarified discussion. To appear in Phys Rev
Energy Norms and the Stability of the Einstein Evolution Equations
The Einstein evolution equations may be written in a variety of equivalent
analytical forms, but numerical solutions of these different formulations
display a wide range of growth rates for constraint violations. For symmetric
hyperbolic formulations of the equations, an exact expression for the growth
rate is derived using an energy norm. This expression agrees with the growth
rate determined by numerical solution of the equations. An approximate method
for estimating the growth rate is also derived. This estimate can be evaluated
algebraically from the initial data, and is shown to exhibit qualitatively the
same dependence as the numerically-determined rate on the parameters that
specify the formulation of the equations. This simple rate estimate therefore
provides a useful tool for finding the most well-behaved forms of the evolution
equations.Comment: Corrected typos; to appear in Physical Review
The discrete energy method in numerical relativity: Towards long-term stability
The energy method can be used to identify well-posed initial boundary value
problems for quasi-linear, symmetric hyperbolic partial differential equations
with maximally dissipative boundary conditions. A similar analysis of the
discrete system can be used to construct stable finite difference equations for
these problems at the linear level. In this paper we apply these techniques to
some test problems commonly used in numerical relativity and observe that while
we obtain convergent schemes, fast growing modes, or ``artificial
instabilities,'' contaminate the solution. We find that these growing modes can
partially arise from the lack of a Leibnitz rule for discrete derivatives and
discuss ways to limit this spurious growth.Comment: 18 pages, 22 figure
Radiation tails and boundary conditions for black hole evolutions
In numerical computations of Einstein's equations for black hole spacetimes,
it will be necessary to use approximate boundary conditions at a finite
distance from the holes. We point out here that ``tails,'' the inverse
power-law decrease of late-time fields, cannot be expected for such
computations. We present computational demonstrations and discussions of
features of late-time behavior in an evolution with a boundary condition.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.
Strongly Hyperbolic Extensions of the ADM Hamiltonian
The ADM Hamiltonian formulation of general relativity with prescribed lapse
and shift is a weakly hyperbolic system of partial differential equations. In
general weakly hyperbolic systems are not mathematically well posed. For well
posedness, the theory should be reformulated so that the complete system,
evolution equations plus gauge conditions, is (at least) strongly hyperbolic.
Traditionally, reformulation has been carried out at the level of equations of
motion. This typically destroys the variational and Hamiltonian structures of
the theory. Here I show that one can extend the ADM formalism to (i)
incorporate the gauge conditions as dynamical equations and (ii) affect the
hyperbolicity of the complete system, all while maintaining a Hamiltonian
description. The extended ADM formulation is used to obtain a strongly
hyperbolic Hamiltonian description of Einstein's theory that is generally
covariant under spatial diffeomorphisms and time reparametrizations, and has
physical characteristics. The extended Hamiltonian formulation with 1+log
slicing and gamma--driver shift conditions is weakly hyperbolic.Comment: This version contains minor corrections and clarifications. The
format has been changed to conform with IOP styl
Numerical Relativity: A review
Computer simulations are enabling researchers to investigate systems which
are extremely difficult to handle analytically. In the particular case of
General Relativity, numerical models have proved extremely valuable for
investigations of strong field scenarios and been crucial to reveal unexpected
phenomena. Considerable efforts are being spent to simulate astrophysically
relevant simulations, understand different aspects of the theory and even
provide insights in the search for a quantum theory of gravity. In the present
article I review the present status of the field of Numerical Relativity,
describe the techniques most commonly used and discuss open problems and (some)
future prospects.Comment: 2 References added; 1 corrected. 67 pages. To appear in Classical and
Quantum Gravity. (uses iopart.cls
Fermi surface topology and low-lying quasiparticle structure of magnetically ordered Fe1+xTe
We report the first photoemission study of Fe1+xTe - the host compound of the
newly discovered iron-chalcogenide superconductors. Our results reveal a pair
of nearly electron- hole compensated Fermi pockets, strong Fermi velocity
renormalization and an absence of a spin-density-wave gap. A shadow hole pocket
is observed at the "X"-point of the Brillouin zone which is consistent with a
long-range ordered magneto-structural groundstate. No signature of Fermi
surface nesting instability associated with Q= pi(1/2, 1/2) is observed. Our
results collectively reveal that the Fe1+xTe series is dramatically different
from the undoped phases of the high Tc pnictides and likely harbor unusual
mechanism for superconductivity and quantum magnetic order.Comment: 5 pages, 4 Figures; Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. (2009