Hydrodynamic Calculations of Coalescing Compact Binaries

将在并行超级计算机上利用三维流体动力学技术进行合并致密双星（两颗中子星或一颗中子星星和一个黑洞合并）的理论计算。 这些计算将包括，有史以来第一次，一个完整的处理所有最低阶后牛顿效应（即，爱因斯坦的广义相对论对牛顿引力的最重要的修正）。特别是，由于引力波的发射引起的耗散效应将被包括在流体力学中，这些计算将为我们提供对双星合并过程的更准确的描述，包括对引力辐射信号的更准确的理论预测，这些信号可能很快就能被激光干涉仪探测器（如LIGO）探测到。 它们还将帮助我们理解可能对产生天文学家在整个可见宇宙中观察到的最强大的伽马射线爆发很重要的机制。

Theoretical calculations of coalescing compact binaries (mergers of two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole) will be performed using 3-D hydrodynamic techniques on parallel supercomputers. These calculations will include, for the first time ever, a complete treatment of all lowest-order post-Newtonian effects (i.e., the most important corrections to Newtonian gravity imposed by Einstein's general theory of relativity). In particular, the dissipative effects due to the emission of gravitational waves will be included in the hydrodynamics.These calculations will provide us with a much more accurate description of the binary coalescence process, including more accurate theoretical predictions for the gravitational radiation signals that may soon become detectable by laser interferometer detectors such as LIGO. They will also help us understand the mechanisms that may be important for producing the most powerful gamma-ray bursts observed by astronomers throughout the visible Universe.