RUI: Numerical Simulations of Merging Black Holes and Neutron Stars

该奖项支持加州州立大学富勒顿分校（CSUF）的一个研究小组对合并黑洞和中子星及其发射的引力波进行建模。对于先进激光干涉仪引力波天文台（Advanced LIGO）来说，合并黑洞和中子星是最有希望的引力波来源之一，而黑洞-中子星合并是短而硬的伽马射线爆发的一个可能来源。这个研究项目使用超级计算机对爱因斯坦的广义相对论方程进行数值求解：1)合并黑洞，特别是以前没有被探索过的情况（比如与旋转速度尽可能快的黑洞合并）；2)一个旋转速度尽可能快的黑洞与一颗中子星合并，撕裂这颗恒星。在爱因斯坦首次预言引力波的存在将近一个世纪之后，引力波——时空曲率的涟漪——准备打开一扇研究宇宙的新窗口。由美国国家科学基金会支持的高级LIGO项目即将完成，并将很快开始搜寻来自黑洞、中子星和其他来源（如超新星）的引力波。通过预测合并黑洞和中子星发出的引力波，这个研究项目将增加高级LIGO的覆盖范围，并将帮助我们尽可能多地了解LIGO的天文来源。CSUF是一所主要面向本科生和西班牙裔学生的机构，通过参与这个项目，学生们将学习可转移的研究和计算技能，同时在准备首次直接探测引力波方面发挥重要作用，这一即将到来的发现可能会极大地改变我们对宇宙的理解。

This award supports research by a group at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) to model merging black holes and neutron stars and the gravitational waves they emit. Merging black holes and neutron stars are among the most promising sources of gravitational waves for the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (Advanced LIGO), and black hole-neutron star mergers are one possible source of short, hard gamma-ray bursts. This research program uses supercomputers to numerically solve Einstein's equations of general relativity for i) merging black holes, especially cases (such as mergers with black holes that are spinning nearly as rapidly as possible) that have not been previously explored, and ii) a black hole, spinning nearly as rapidly as possible, that merges with a neutron star, tearing the star apart.Almost a century after Einstein first predicted their existence, gravitational waves---ripples of spacetime curvature---are poised to open a new window on the universe. Advanced LIGO, an NSF-supported project, is nearing completion and will soon begin searching for gravitational waves from black holes, neutron stars, and other sources, such as supernovae. By predicting the gravitational waves emitted by merging black holes and neutron stars, this research program will increase the reach of Advanced LIGO and will help us to learn as much as possible about LIGO's astronomical sources. Through their participation in this program, students at CSUF, a primarily undergraduate- and Hispanic-serving institution, will learn transferable research and computational skills while playing important roles in preparing for the first direct detections of gravitational waves, an imminent discovery that could dramatically alter our understanding of the universe.