Parameter control for eccentric, precessing binary black hole simulations with SpEC

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Knapp, Taylor, Chatziioannou, Katerina, Pfeiffer, Harald, Scheel, Mark A., Kidder, Lawrence E.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866913652067532800
author Knapp, Taylor
Chatziioannou, Katerina
Pfeiffer, Harald
Scheel, Mark A.
Kidder, Lawrence E.
author_facet Knapp, Taylor
Chatziioannou, Katerina
Pfeiffer, Harald
Scheel, Mark A.
Kidder, Lawrence E.
contents Numerical relativity simulations of merging black holes provide the most accurate description of the binary dynamics and the emitted gravitational wave signal. However, practical considerations such as imperfect initial data and initial parameters mean that achieving target parameters, such as the orbital eccentricity or the black hole spin directions, at the beginning of the usable part of the simulation is challenging. In this paper, we devise a method to produce simulations with specific target parameters, namely the Keplerian orbital parameters-eccentricity, semimajor axis, mean anomaly-and the black hole spin vectors using SpEC. The method is an extension of the current process for achieving vanishing eccentricity and it is based on a parameter control loop that iteratively numerically evolves the system, fits the orbit with analytical post-Newtonian equations, and calculates updated input parameters. Through SpEC numerical simulations, we demonstrate $\lesssim 10^{-3}$ and $O(\rm degree)$ convergence for the orbital eccentricity and the spin directions respectively in $\leq7$ iterations. These tests extend to binaries with mass ratios $q \leq 3$, eccentricities $e \leq 0.65$, and spin magnitudes $|χ| \leq 0.75$. Our method for controlling the orbital and spin parameters of numerical simulations can be used to produce targeted simulations in sparsely covered regions of the parameter space or study the dynamics of relativistic binaries.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2410_02997
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Parameter control for eccentric, precessing binary black hole simulations with SpEC
Knapp, Taylor
Chatziioannou, Katerina
Pfeiffer, Harald
Scheel, Mark A.
Kidder, Lawrence E.
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Numerical relativity simulations of merging black holes provide the most accurate description of the binary dynamics and the emitted gravitational wave signal. However, practical considerations such as imperfect initial data and initial parameters mean that achieving target parameters, such as the orbital eccentricity or the black hole spin directions, at the beginning of the usable part of the simulation is challenging. In this paper, we devise a method to produce simulations with specific target parameters, namely the Keplerian orbital parameters-eccentricity, semimajor axis, mean anomaly-and the black hole spin vectors using SpEC. The method is an extension of the current process for achieving vanishing eccentricity and it is based on a parameter control loop that iteratively numerically evolves the system, fits the orbit with analytical post-Newtonian equations, and calculates updated input parameters. Through SpEC numerical simulations, we demonstrate $\lesssim 10^{-3}$ and $O(\rm degree)$ convergence for the orbital eccentricity and the spin directions respectively in $\leq7$ iterations. These tests extend to binaries with mass ratios $q \leq 3$, eccentricities $e \leq 0.65$, and spin magnitudes $|χ| \leq 0.75$. Our method for controlling the orbital and spin parameters of numerical simulations can be used to produce targeted simulations in sparsely covered regions of the parameter space or study the dynamics of relativistic binaries.
title Parameter control for eccentric, precessing binary black hole simulations with SpEC
topic General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.02997