Three Dimensional Distorted Black Holes

TL;DR

This paper develops three-dimensional, non-axisymmetric initial data for distorted black holes, enabling more realistic simulations of black hole dynamics and mergers in full 3D.

Contribution

It introduces a new method for constructing non-axisymmetric, distorted black hole initial data sets for the first time.

Findings

Constructed several families of 3D distorted black hole data

Analyzed ADM masses, horizons, and radiation loss in these models

Provided numerical solutions for complex black hole geometries

Abstract

We present three-dimensional, {\it non-axisymmetric} distorted black hole initial data which generalizes the axisymmetric, distorted, non-rotating [Bernstein93a] and rotating [Brandt94a] single black hole data developed by Bernstein, Brandt, and Seidel. These initial data should be useful for studying the dynamics of fully 3D, distorted black holes, such as those created by the spiraling coalescence of two black holes. We describe the mathematical construction of several families of such data sets, and show how to construct numerical solutions. We survey quantities associated with the numerically constructed solutions, such as ADM masses, apparent horizons, measurements of the horizon distortion, and the maximum possible radiation loss ($MRL$).