Numerical Computation of Black Hole Coalescence

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

Drs. L. Kidder and S. Teukolsky will carry out research in numerical gravitation, and will develop new algorithms for supercomputer simulations of solutions to the Einstein Equations. The focus is to track the coalescence and merger of binary black hole systems and to calculate the gravitational waveform emitted by such processes. The investigators will apply the computational technique of pseudospectral collacation to this problem. The study of reliable waveforms is particularly timely. The theoretical solution of this problem is remarkably difficult. While the technique used in this study are new for this application, it has proven successful in many other areas, and shows much promise for improving computational efficiency in this area. The radiation processes under study are the primary target for gravitational wave detectors, such as LIGO, currently under construction.