Related papers: Three Dimensional Distorted Black Holes: Initial D…
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 approximate analytical solutions to the Hamiltonian and momentum constraint equations, corresponding to systems composed of two black holes with arbitrary linear and angular momentum. The analytical nature of these initial data…
We explore whether a new method to solve the constraints of Einstein's equations, which does not involve elliptic equations, can be applied to provide initial data for black holes. We show that this method can be successfully applied to a…
We obtain an explicit solution of the momentum constraint for conformally flat, maximal slicing, initial data which gives an alternative to the purely longitudinal extrinsic curvature of Bowen and York. The new solution is related, in a…
Using a post-Newtonian diagnostic tool developed by Mora and Will, we examine numerically generated quasiequilibrium initial data sets that have been used in recently successful numerical evolutions of binary black holes through plunge,…
In this exploratory study, we demonstrate the capability of the numerical-relativity code BAM to simulate fully relativistic black-hole binary-single and binary-binary encounters. While previous work has demonstrated the general capability…
Initial data are the starting point for any numerical simulation. In the case of numerical relativity, Einstein's equations constrain our choices of these initial data. We will examine several of the formalisms used for specifying Cauchy…
We consider general relativistic Cauchy data representing two nonspinning, equal-mass black holes boosted toward each other. When the black holes are close enough to each other and their momentum is sufficiently high, an encompassing…
We present techniques for long-term, stable, and accurate evolutions of multiple-black-hole spacetimes using the `moving puncture' approach with fourth- and eighth-order finite difference stencils. We use these techniques to explore…
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…
Recent breakthroughs in the field of numerical relativity have led to dramatic progress in understanding the predictions of General Relativity for the dynamical interactions of two black holes in the regime of very strong gravitational…
We consider the properties and dynamics of black holes within a family of alternative theories of gravity, namely Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton (EMD) theory. We analyze the dynamical evolution of individual black holes as well as the merger of…
We study physical properties of conformal initial value data for single and binary black hole configurations obtained using conformal-imaging and conformal-puncture methods. We investigate how the total mass M_tot of a dataset with two…
The recent first detection of gravitational waves (GWs) from binary black hole mergers has spurred a renewed interest in possible deviations from General Relativity (GR), since they could be detected in the GWs emitted by such systems. Of…
Coalescing binary black-hole systems are among the most promising sources of gravitational waves for ground-based interferometers. While the \emph{inspiral} and \emph{ring-down} stages of the binary black-hole coalescence are well-modelled…
Tendex and vortex fields, defined by the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the electric and magnetic parts of the Weyl curvature tensor, form the basis of a recently developed approach to visualizing spacetime curvature. In particular, this…
Models of gravitational waveforms from coalescing black-hole binaries play a crucial role in the efforts to detect and interpret the signatures of those binaries in the data of large-scale interferometers. Here we summarize recent models…
The starting point of any general relativistic numerical simulation is a solution of the Hamiltonian and momentum constraints that (ideally) represents an astrophysically realistic scenario. We present a new method to produce initial data…
Gravitational waves emitted by distorted black holes, such as those arising from the coalescence of binary black holes, or a falling compact star into a supermassive black hole, carry not only information about the corresponding spacetime…
We study deformations of axially symmetric initial data for Einstein-Maxwell equations satisfying the time-rotation ($t$-$\phi$) symmetry and containing one asymptotically cylindrical end and one asymptotically flat end. We find that the…