Related papers: Binary black hole evolutions of approximate punctu…
We report on a new 3D numerical code designed to solve the Einstein equations for general vacuum spacetimes. This code is based on the standard 3+1 approach using cartesian coordinates. We discuss the numerical techniques used in developing…
We derive the scalar waveform generated by a binary of nonspinning compact objects (black holes or neutron stars) in a general class of scalar-tensor theories of gravity. The waveform is accurate to 1.5 post-Newtonian order [$O((v/c)^3)$]…
We consider the initial data problem for several black holes in vacuum with arbitrary momenta and spins on a three space with punctures. We compactify the internal asymptotically flat regions to obtain a computational domain without inner…
We present preliminary results from self-consistent, high resolution direct {\it N}-body simulations of massive black hole binaries in mergers of galactic nuclei. The dynamics of the black hole binary includes the full Post-Newtonian…
We analyze the dynamical evolution of binary stars that interact with a static background of single stars in the environment of a massive black hole (MBH). All stars are considered to be single mass, Newtonian point particles. We follow the…
We present results of numerical simulations of sequences of binary-single scattering events of black holes in dense stellar environments. The simulations cover a wide range of mass ratios from equal mass objects to 1000:10:10 solar masses…
By using a quasi-stationary approach, we consider the mass evolution of Schwarzschild black holes in the presence of a nonminimally coupled cosmological scalar field. The mass evolution equation is analytically solved for generic coupling,…
We study conformally-flat initial data for an arbitrary number of spinning black holes with exact analytic solutions to the momentum constraints constructed from a linear combination of the classical Bowen-York and conformal Kerr extrinsic…
Standard choices of quasi-circular orbit parameters for black-hole binary evolutions result in eccentric inspiral. We introduce a conceptually simple method, which is to integrate the post-Newtonian equations of motion through hundreds of…
We prove the existence of a family of initial data for Einstein equations which represent small deformations of the extreme Kerr black hole initial data. The data in this family have the same asymptotic geometry as extreme Kerr. In…
A general method is presented for estimating the uncertainty in hybrid models of gravitational waveforms from binary black-hole systems with arbitrary physical parameters, and thence the highest allowable initial orbital frequency for a…
Simulations of binary black hole systems using the Spectral Einstein Code (SpEC) are done on a computational domain that excises the regions inside the black holes. It is imperative that the excision boundaries are outflow boundaries with…
We present results from a new code for binary black hole evolutions using the moving-puncture approach, implementing finite differences in generalised coordinates, and allowing the spacetime to be covered with multiple communicating…
Orbital eccentricity and spin precession are precious observables to infer the formation history of binary black holes with gravitational-wave data. We present a post-Newtonian, multi-timescale analysis of the binary dynamics able to…
As a network of advanced-era gravitational wave detectors is nearing its design sensitivity, efficient and accurate waveform modeling becomes more and more relevant. Understanding of the nature of the signal being sought can have an order…
We investigate the (conservative) dynamics of binary black holes using the Hamiltonian formulation of the post-Newtonian (PN) equations of motion. The Hamiltonian we use includes spin-orbit coupling, spin-spin coupling, and mass…
Orbital eccentricity in compact binaries is considered to be a key tracer of their astrophysical origin, and can be inferred from gravitational-wave observations due to its imprint on the emitted signal. For a robust measurement, accurate…
Simulations of binary neutron stars have seen great advances in terms of physical detail and numerical quality. However, the spin of the neutron stars, one of the simplest global parameters of binaries, remains mostly unstudied. We present…
We study the evolution of a massive black hole pair in a rotationally supported nuclear disc. The distributions of stars and gas mimic the nuclear region of a gas-rich galaxy merger remnant. Using high-resolution SPH simulations, we follow…
We model two mergers of orbiting binary neutron stars, the first forming a black hole and the second a differentially rotating neutron star. We extract gravitational waveforms in the wave zone. Comparisons to a post-Newtonian analysis allow…