Related papers: Dynamical Excision Boundaries in Spectral Evolutio…
Several improvements in numerical methods and gauge choice are presented that make it possible now to perform simulations of the merger and ringdown phases of "generic" binary black-hole evolutions using the pseudo-spectral evolution code…
Excision techniques are used in order to deal with black holes in numerical simulations of Einstein equations and consist in removing a topological sphere containing the physical singularity from the numerical domain, applying instead…
We present improvements to construction of binary black hole initial data used in SpEC (the Spectral Einstein Code). We introduce new boundary conditions for the extended conformal thin sandwich elliptic equations that enforce the excision…
We analyze the excision strategy for simulating black holes. The problem is modeled by the propagation of quasi-linear waves in a 1-dimensional spatial region with timelike outer boundary, spacelike inner boundary and a horizon in between.…
We present long term evolutions of a single black hole of mass $M$ with the BSSN system using pseudospectral methods. For our simulations we use the SGRID code where the BSSN system is implemented in its standard second order in space form.…
We present a singularity excision algorithm appropriate for numerical simulations of black holes moving throughout the computational domain. The method is an extension of the excision procedure previously used to obtain stable simulations…
It is expected that the realization of a convergent and long-term stable numerical code for the simulation of a black hole inspiral collision will depend greatly upon the construction of stable algorithms capable of handling smooth and,…
Numerical relativity simulations of merging black holes provide the most accurate description of the binary dynamics and the emitted gravitational wave signal. However, practical considerations such as imperfect initial data and initial…
We present a new pseudo-spectral code for the simulation of evolution systems that are second order in space. We test this code by evolving a non-linear scalar wave equation. These non-linear waves can be stably evolved using very simple…
We describe an explicit in time, finite-difference code designed to simulate black holes by using the excision method. The code is based upon the harmonic formulation of the Einstein equations and incorporates several features regarding the…
Errors due to imperfect boundary conditions in numerical relativity simulations of binary black holes can produce unphysical reflections of gravitational waves which compromise the accuracy of waveform predictions, especially for…
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…
Numerical simulations of binary black holes---an important predictive tool for the detection of gravitational waves---are computationally expensive, especially for binaries with high mass ratios or with rapidly spinning constituent holes.…
The most general bound binary black hole (BBH) system has an eccentric orbit and precessing spins. The detection of such a system with significant eccentricity close to the merger would be a clear signature of dynamical formation. In order…
In this paper a new double-domain spectral method to compute binary black hole excision initial data is presented. The method solves a system of elliptic partial differential equations in the exterior of two excised spheres. At the surface…
Numerical relativity simulations provide a full description of the dynamics of binary systems, including gravitational radiation. The waveforms produced by these simulations have a number of applications in gravitational-wave detection and…
When numerically solving Einstein's equations for binary black holes (BBH), we must find initial data on a three-dimensional spatial slice by solving constraint equations. The construction of initial data is a multi-step process, in which…
Current methods of evolving a spacetime containing one or more black holes are plagued by instabilities that prohibit long-term evolution. Some of these instabilities may be due to the numerical method used, traditionally finite…
We present a major update to the Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes (SXS) Collaboration's catalog of binary black hole simulations. Using highly efficient spectral methods implemented in the Spectral Einstein Code (SpEC), we have nearly doubled…
We present a new numerical code developed for the evolution of binary black-hole spacetimes using different initial data and evolution techniques. The code is demonstrated to produce state-of-the-art simulations of orbiting and inspiralling…