Elements: An initial value solver for the era of multi-messenger astrophysics

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

The advent of "multimessenger” astronomy promises to resolve a number of long-standing astrophysical puzzles, such as the origin of short gamma-ray bursts and r-process elements, as well as the nature of matter at supranuclear densities. As already established by event GW170817, the sites where these phenomena take place are mergers of binary neutron stars, and/or black hole--neutron stars. Essential to any general relativistic simulation is the construction of the initial values that will be evolved and which describe the astrophysical system under consideration at an initial moment. This award supports the development of a community open source, general relativistic initial value code useful in the era of multimessenger astronomy. The new code, which will be based on the private Compact Object CALculator code will focus on providing to the astrophysics community modern and accurate modeling tools that are currently not available to them. This system of modules will work together and give users the capability to set up new initial data types. Special attention will be paid to long term sustainability and interconnectivity with current NSF supported cyberinfrastructure. The research and outreach activities supported by this grant help promote the use of computers at all levels of education, as well as the public awareness of some of the latest and most exciting developments in gravitational physics and astrophysics. Modeling of strongly gravitating magnetized compact objects either in isolation or in a binary system is the focus of this award. In addition to numerical modeling, this program involves also analytical treatment of such astrophysically relevant systems in general relativity, relativistic hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics. At the same time the necessary infrastructure to connect the new initial data with a variety of evolution codes that are currently used (and in some cases funded by the NSF), will be developed. Extensive documentation will be produced that will lower the entrance barrier of new researchers in this field. As more sensitive gravitational wave detectors ---such as the NSF-led LIGO Voyager that will provide exquisite observations of neutron stars and stellar mass black holes, or LISA that will target supermassive black holes--- come into operation, the necessity for more realistic and accurate modeling of strongly gravitating multimessenger sources will become imperative. Providing a tool for such modeling is the motivation for this award. This project advances the objectives of "Windows on the Universe: the Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics", one of the 10 Big Ideas for Future NSF Investments. The award by the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure is jointly supported by the Physics at the Information Frontier program in the Division of Physics within the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.