Related papers: Binary-black-hole initial data with nearly-extrema…
Using an effective potential method we examine binary black holes where the individual holes carry spin. We trace out sequences of quasi-circular orbits and locate the innermost stable circular orbit as a function of spin. At large…
COCAL is a code for computing equilibriums or quasiequilibrium initial data of single or binary compact objects based on finite difference methods. We present the results of supplementary convergence tests of COCAL code using time symmetric…
We consider a subset of the physical processes that determine the spin j = a/M of astrophysical black holes. These include: (1) Initial conditions. Recent models suggest that the collapse of supermassive stars are likely to produce black…
We review current challenges in understanding the values and origin of the spins of black holes in binaries. Thanks to recent advances in astrophysical instrumentation, the spins can now be measured using both gravitational waves emitted by…
Scenarios of large extra dimensions have enhanced the importance for the study of black holes in higher dimensions. In this paper, we analyze an axisymmetric system of two black holes. Specifically, the Bowen-York method is generalized for…
We describe recent numerical simulations of the merger of a class of equal mass, non-spinning, eccentric binary black hole systems in general relativity. We show that with appropriate fine-tuning of the initial conditions to a region of…
We model numerically the evolution of $10^4M_\odot$ turbulent molecular clouds in near-radial infall onto $10^6M_\odot$, equal-mass super-massive black hole binaries, using a modified version of the SPH code GADGET-3. We investigate the…
In this work we have used for the first time pseudo-spectral methods to perform numerical simulations of spherically symmetric black hole formations on a Friedman-Robertson-Walker universe. With these methods, the differential equations…
Determining the final spin of a black-hole (BH) binary is a question of key importance in astrophysics. Modelling this quantity in general is made difficult by the fact that it depends on the 7-dimensional space of parameters characterizing…
As a first step towards understanding the angular momentum evolution history of black holes in merging black-hole/neutron-star binaries, we perform population synthesis calculations to track the distribution of accretion histories of…
We present the first results from a new method for computing spacetimes representing corotating binary black holes in circular orbits. The method is based on the assumption of exact equilibrium. It uses the standard 3+1 decomposition of…
Recent studies of accretion onto supermassive black hole binaries suggest that much, perhaps most, of the matter eventually accretes onto one hole or the other. If so, then for binaries whose inspiral from ~1 pc to 0.001 - 0.01 pc is driven…
How rare are extreme-spin primordial black holes? We show how, from an underlying distribution of PBH spin, extreme-value statistics can be used to quantify the rarity of spinning PBHs with Kerr parameter close to 1. Using the…
We produce the first numerical relativity binary black hole gravitational waveforms in a higher-curvature theory beyond general relativity. In particular, we study head-on collisions of binary black holes in order-reduced dynamical…
A numerical solution scheme for the Einstein field equations based on generalized harmonic coordinates is described, focusing on details not provided before in the literature and that are of particular relevance to the binary black hole…
A new method is described for constructing initial data for a binary neutron-star (BNS) system in quasi-equilibrium circular orbit. Two formulations for non-conformally flat data, waveless (WL) and near-zone helically symmetric (NHS), are…
The spin distribution of binary black hole mergers contains key information concerning the formation channels of these objects, and the astrophysical environments where they form, evolve and coalesce. To quantify the suitability of deep…
Using recent results from numerical relativity simulations of black hole mergers, we revisit previous studies of cosmological black hole spin evolution. We show that mergers are very unlikely to yield large spins, unless alignment of the…
The first direct detections of gravitational waves from merging binary black holes open a unique window into the binary black hole formation environment. One promising environmental signature is the angular distribution of the black hole…
We present a new approach to the problem of binary black holes in the pre-coalescence stage, i.e. when the notion of orbit has still some meaning. Contrary to previous numerical treatments which are based on the initial value formulation of…