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Robert Owen

Publications and source records attributed to Robert Owen.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

The periodic standing-wave approximation: nonlinear scalar fields, adapted coordinates, and the eigenspectral method

The periodic standing wave (PSW) method for the binary inspiral of black holes and neutron stars computes exact numerical solutions for periodic standing wave spacetimes and then extracts approximate solutions of the physical problem, with outgoing waves. The method requires solution of a boundary value problem with a mixed (hyperbolic and elliptic) character. We present here a new numerical method for such problems, based on three innovations: (i) a coordinate system adapted to the geometry of the problem, (ii) an expansion in multipole moments of these coordinates and a filtering out of higher moments, and (iii) the replacement of the continuum multipole moments with their analogs for a discrete grid. We illustrate the efficiency and accuracy of this method with nonlinear scalar model problems. Finally, we take advantage of the ability of this method to handle highly nonlinear models to demonstrate that the outgoing approximations extracted from the standing wave solutions are highly accurate even in the presence of strong nonlinearities.

gr-qc↗

Optimal Constraint Projection for Hyperbolic Evolution Systems

Techniques are developed for projecting the solutions of symmetric hyperbolic evolution systems onto the constraint submanifold (the constraint-satisfying subset of the dynamical field space). These optimal projections map a field configuration to the ``nearest'' configuration in the constraint submanifold, where distances between configurations are measured with the natural metric on the space of dynamical fields. The construction and use of these projections is illustrated for a new representation of the scalar field equation that exhibits both bulk and boundary generated constraint violations. Numerical simulations on a black-hole background show that bulk constraint violations cannot be controlled by constraint-preserving boundary conditions alone, but are effectively controlled by constraint projection. Simulations also show that constraint violations entering through boundaries cannot be controlled by constraint projection alone, but are controlled by constraint-preserving boundary conditions. Numerical solutions to the pathological scalar field system are shown to converge to solutions of a standard representation of the scalar field equation when constraint projection and constraint-preserving boundary conditions are used together.

gr-qc↗

The Periodic Standing-Wave Approximation: Overview and Three Dimensional Scalar Models

The periodic standing-wave method for binary inspiral computes the exact numerical solution for periodic binary motion with standing gravitational waves, and uses it as an approximation to slow binary inspiral with outgoing waves. Important features of this method presented here are: (i) the mathematical nature of the ``mixed'' partial differential equations to be solved, (ii) the meaning of standing waves in the method, (iii) computational difficulties, and (iv) the ``effective linearity'' that ultimately justifies the approximation. The method is applied to three dimensional nonlinear scalar model problems, and the numerical results are used to demonstrate extraction of the outgoing solution from the standing-wave solution, and the role of effective linearity.

gr-qc↗