arXiv subjects

Hannes R. Rüter

Publications and source records attributed to Hannes R. Rüter.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Worldtube excision method for intermediate-mass-ratio inspirals: scalar-field toy model

The computational cost of inspiral and merger simulations for black-hole binaries increases in inverse proportion to the square of the mass ratio $q:=m_2/m_1\leq 1$. One factor of $q$ comes from the number of orbital cycles, which is proportional to $1/q$, and another is associated with the required number of time steps per orbit, constrained (via the Courant-Friedrich-Lewy condition) by the need to resolve the two disparate length scales. This problematic scaling makes simulations progressively less tractable at smaller $q$. Here we propose and explore a method for alleviating the scale disparity in simulations with mass ratios in the intermediate astrophysical range ($10^{-4} \lesssim q\lesssim 10^{-2}$), where purely perturbative methods may not be adequate. A region of radius much larger than $m_2$ around the smaller object is excised from the numerical domain, and replaced with an analytical model approximating a tidally deformed black hole. The analytical model involves certain a priori unknown parameters, associated with unknown bits of physics together with gauge-adjustment terms; these are dynamically determined by matching to the numerical solution outside the excision region. In this paper we develop the basic idea and apply it to a toy model of a scalar charge in a circular geodesic orbit around a Schwarzschild black hole, solving for the massless Klein-Gordon field in a 1+1D framework. Our main goal here is to explore the utility and properties of different matching strategies, and to this end we develop two independent implementations, a finite-difference one and a spectral one. We discuss the extension of our method to a full 3D numerical evolution and to gravity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

An Implementation of DF-GHG with Application to Spherical Black Hole Excision

We present an implementation of the dual foliation generalized harmonic gauge (DF-GHG) formulation within the pseudospectral code bamps. The formalism promises to give greater freedom in the choice of coordinates that can be used in numerical relativity. As a specific application we focus here on the treatment of black holes in spherical symmetry. Existing approaches to black hole excision in numerical relativity are susceptible to failure if the boundary fails to remain outflow. We present a method, called DF-excision, to avoid this failure. Our approach relies on carefully choosing coordinates in which the coordinate lightspeeds are under strict control. These coordinates are then combined with the DF-GHG formulation. After performing a set of validation tests in a simple setting, we study the accretion of large pulses of scalar field matter on to a spherical black hole. We compare the results of DF-excision with a naive setup. DF-excision proves reliable even when the previous approach fails.

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arXiv2020

Analytical and numerical treatment of perturbed black holes in horizon-penetrating coordinates

The deviations of non-linear perturbations of black holes from the linear case are important in the context of ringdown signals with large signal-to-noise ratio. To facilitate a comparison between the two we derive several results of linear perturbation theory in coordinates which may be adopted in numerical work. Specifically, our results are derived in Kerr-Schild coordinates adjusted by a general height function. In the first part of the paper we address the questions: for an initial configuration of a massless scalar field, what is the amplitude of the excited quasinormal mode (QNM) for any observer outside outside the event horizon, and furthermore what is the resulting tail contribution? This is done by constructing the full Green's function for the problem with exact solutions of the confluent Heun equation satisfying appropriate boundary conditions. In the second part of the paper, we detail new developments to our pseudospectral numerical relativity code bamps to handle scalar fields. In the linear regime we employ precisely the Kerr-Schild coordinates treated by our previous analysis. In particular, we evolve pure QNM type initial data along with several other types of initial data and report on the presence of overtone modes in the signal.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

The SXS Collaboration catalog of binary black hole simulations

Accurate models of gravitational waves from merging black holes are necessary for detectors to observe as many events as possible while extracting the maximum science. Near the time of merger, the gravitational waves from merging black holes can be computed only using numerical relativity. In this paper, we present a major update of the Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes (SXS) Collaboration catalog of numerical simulations for merging black holes. The catalog contains 2018 distinct configurations (a factor of 11 increase compared to the 2013 SXS catalog), including 1426 spin-precessing configurations, with mass ratios between 1 and 10, and spin magnitudes up to 0.998. The median length of a waveform in the catalog is 39 cycles of the dominant $\ell=m=2$ gravitational-wave mode, with the shortest waveform containing 7.0 cycles and the longest 351.3 cycles. We discuss improvements such as correcting for moving centers of mass and extended coverage of the parameter space. We also present a thorough analysis of numerical errors, finding typical truncation errors corresponding to a waveform mismatch of $\sim 10^{-4}$. The simulations provide remnant masses and spins with uncertainties of 0.03% and 0.1% ($90^{\text{th}}$ percentile), about an order of magnitude better than analytical models for remnant properties. The full catalog is publicly available at https://www.black-holes.org/waveforms .

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arXiv2017

Hyperbolic Relaxation Method for Elliptic Equations

We show how the basic idea of parabolic Jacobi relaxation can be modified to obtain a new class of hyperbolic relaxation schemes that are suitable for the solution of elliptic equations. Some of the analytic and numerical properties of hyperbolic relaxation are examined. We describe its implementation as a first order system in a pseudospectral evolution code, demonstrating that certain elliptic equations can be solved within a framework for hyperbolic evolution systems. Applications include various initial data problems in numerical general relativity. In particular we generate initial data for the evolution of a massless scalar field, a single neutron star, and binary neutron star systems.

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