Black-hole scattering with numerical relativity: Self-force extraction and post-Minkowskian validation
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866908704169787392 |
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| author | Long, Oliver Pfeiffer, Harald P. Kidder, Lawrence E. Scheel, Mark A. |
| author_facet | Long, Oliver Pfeiffer, Harald P. Kidder, Lawrence E. Scheel, Mark A. |
| contents | The asymptotic nature of unbound binary-black-hole encounters provides a clean method for comparing different approaches for modeling the two-body problem in general relativity. In this work, we use numerical relativity simulations of black-hole scattering, generated using the Spectral Einstein Code, to explore the self-force and post-Minkowskian expansions of the scattering angle. First, we use a set of unequal-mass simulations to extract the self-force contributions to the scattering angle. Our main result is that using information up to second-order in the symmetric mass ratio (2SF) reproduces numerical relativity within the error bars across the full range of mass-ratios, including equal mass. Next, we compare our numerical relativity results to state-of-the-art post-Minkowskian predictions at larger impact parameters than previously explored. We find good agreement in the weak-field regime and discuss the relative importance of higher-order terms. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_10196 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Black-hole scattering with numerical relativity: Self-force extraction and post-Minkowskian validation Long, Oliver Pfeiffer, Harald P. Kidder, Lawrence E. Scheel, Mark A. General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology High Energy Physics - Theory The asymptotic nature of unbound binary-black-hole encounters provides a clean method for comparing different approaches for modeling the two-body problem in general relativity. In this work, we use numerical relativity simulations of black-hole scattering, generated using the Spectral Einstein Code, to explore the self-force and post-Minkowskian expansions of the scattering angle. First, we use a set of unequal-mass simulations to extract the self-force contributions to the scattering angle. Our main result is that using information up to second-order in the symmetric mass ratio (2SF) reproduces numerical relativity within the error bars across the full range of mass-ratios, including equal mass. Next, we compare our numerical relativity results to state-of-the-art post-Minkowskian predictions at larger impact parameters than previously explored. We find good agreement in the weak-field regime and discuss the relative importance of higher-order terms. |
| title | Black-hole scattering with numerical relativity: Self-force extraction and post-Minkowskian validation |
| topic | General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology High Energy Physics - Theory |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.10196 |