Binary neutron star mergers with tabulated equations of state in SPHINCS_BSSN

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Shankar, Swapnil, Rosswog, Stephan, Diener, Peter
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Shankar, Swapnil
Rosswog, Stephan
Diener, Peter
author_facet Shankar, Swapnil
Rosswog, Stephan
Diener, Peter
contents The dynamics and observable signatures of neutron star mergers are governed by physics under the most extreme conditions. They are particularly impacted by the high-density equation of state, which for the most sophisticated models is usually available in the form of tables. Numerical relativity codes usually evolve particularly well-behaved numerical ("conservative") variables, but at the price that the physically interesting ("primitive") variables need to be found at every computational element and at every integration sub-step by means of expensive (and not always successful) root-finding algorithms. We have recently developed the Lagrangian numerical relativity code SPHINCS_BSSN which evolves the spacetime on an adaptive mesh with well tested methods, but the fluid is evolved by means of freely moving particles. Since our evolution equations differ from those of conventional numerical relativity, we need to develop new conservative-to-primitive algorithms if we want to use tabulated equations of state. We present here three such algorithms: a 3D and a 2D Newton-Raphson method and a 1D root-finding algorithm based on Ridders' method. We find the 3D method to be very fast and robust with an average failure fraction in a full-blown neutron star merger simulation (with the DD2 equation of state) well below 1%. While we do not find obvious advantages for the 2D method, the 1D Ridders' method is slow, but essentially fail-safe. Therefore, we choose the 3D Newton-Raphson as default and fall back to the 1D Ridders' method as a safe "parachute".
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_25809
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Binary neutron star mergers with tabulated equations of state in SPHINCS_BSSN
Shankar, Swapnil
Rosswog, Stephan
Diener, Peter
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
The dynamics and observable signatures of neutron star mergers are governed by physics under the most extreme conditions. They are particularly impacted by the high-density equation of state, which for the most sophisticated models is usually available in the form of tables. Numerical relativity codes usually evolve particularly well-behaved numerical ("conservative") variables, but at the price that the physically interesting ("primitive") variables need to be found at every computational element and at every integration sub-step by means of expensive (and not always successful) root-finding algorithms. We have recently developed the Lagrangian numerical relativity code SPHINCS_BSSN which evolves the spacetime on an adaptive mesh with well tested methods, but the fluid is evolved by means of freely moving particles. Since our evolution equations differ from those of conventional numerical relativity, we need to develop new conservative-to-primitive algorithms if we want to use tabulated equations of state. We present here three such algorithms: a 3D and a 2D Newton-Raphson method and a 1D root-finding algorithm based on Ridders' method. We find the 3D method to be very fast and robust with an average failure fraction in a full-blown neutron star merger simulation (with the DD2 equation of state) well below 1%. While we do not find obvious advantages for the 2D method, the 1D Ridders' method is slow, but essentially fail-safe. Therefore, we choose the 3D Newton-Raphson as default and fall back to the 1D Ridders' method as a safe "parachute".
title Binary neutron star mergers with tabulated equations of state in SPHINCS_BSSN
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.25809