Coalescence of Binary Black Holes: Computational Contributions to LIGO

来自黑洞和中子星双星的最终俯冲和合并的引力波形式是LIGO和其他引力波干涉仪的主要目标。 这些波形只能通过大规模的数值计算来预测。 如果这种模拟的波形要及时提供给LIGO社区，现在必须继续进行大量的计算工作。 这种努力超出了单一研究者项目的范围，需要一个专门的研究人员团队进行合作。 重要的理论和算法问题仍然有待解决之前，成功地模拟紧凑的二进制合并可以实现。一个代码演变爱因斯坦方程在三维空间，并没有特殊的对称性假设是需要产生二元聚结模拟。 该代码必须稳定和准确。 实现稳定性需要在理解时空动态演化时演化方案如何与边界条件相互作用方面取得理论进展。 这将需要发展坐标测量选择，以确保坐标不会表现出病态。 演化中子星需要将物质源纳入爱因斯坦方程求解器，并开发稳定和准确的方法来演化物质。 库克博士将构建这样一个代码来解决合并紧凑型双星的问题，以共生的方式将理论和计算结合起来，以便朝着产生引力波形式的目标取得最快的进展。

Gravitational wave forms from the final plunge and coalescence of black-hole and neutron-star binaries are primary targets for LIGO and other gravitational wave interferometers. These wave forms can only be predicted by large-scale numerical computations. If such simulated wave forms are to be made available to the LIGO community in a timely fashion, a significant effort to compute them must be continued now. Such an effort is beyond the scope of a single-investigator project, and requires a collaboration among a dedicated team of researchers. Important theoretical and algorithmic issues remain to be solved before successful simulations of compact binary mergers can be achieved. A code for evolving Einstein's equations in three spatial dimensions and with no special symmetries assumed is needed to produce binary coalescence simulations. This code must be stable and accurate. Achieving stability will require theoretical advances in understanding how evolution schemes interact with boundary conditions when the spacetime is evolving dynamically. It will require the development of coordinate gauge choices that ensure that the coordinates do not behave pathologically. Evolving neutron stars require incorporating matter sources into the Einstein equation solver and developing stable and accurate methods for evolving the matter. Dr. Cook will construct such a code to solve the problem of coalescing compact binaries, combining theory and computation in a symbiotic fashion to make the most rapid progress possible toward the goal of producing gravitational wave forms.