Summary of GR18 Numerical Relativity parallel sessions (B1/B2 and B2), Sydney, 8-13 July 2007

TL;DR

The paper summarizes the progress in numerical relativity at GR18, focusing on binary black hole merger simulations, their convergence, and implications for gravitational wave predictions, with diverse topics including matter evolution and gauge choices.

Contribution

It reports on advancements in simulating binary black hole mergers from early inspiral to ringdown, and initial data mapping, especially considering black hole spins and recoil effects.

Findings

Simulations show convergence with resolution.

Different groups' results roughly agree.

Black hole spins influence recoil velocities.

Abstract

The numerical relativity session at GR18 was dominated by physics results on binary black hole mergers. Several groups can now simulate these from a time when the post-Newtonian equations of motion are still applicable, through several orbits and the merger to the ringdown phase, obtaining plausible gravitational waves at infinity, and showing some evidence of convergence with resolution. The results of different groups roughly agree. This new-won confidence has been used by these groups to begin mapping out the (finite-dimensional) initial data space of the problem, with a particular focus on the effect of black hole spins, and the acceleration by gravitational wave recoil to hundreds of km/s of the final merged black hole. Other work was presented on a variety of topics, such as evolutions with matter, extreme mass ratio inspirals, and technical issues such as gauge choices.