The Matter Plus Black Hole Problem in Axisymmetry

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new computational approach to simulate the evolution of matter around black holes in axisymmetric spacetimes, combining existing codes with advanced numerical methods.

Contribution

It develops a novel coupled code integrating two existing codes to study matter dynamics near black holes in axisymmetry.

Findings

Successful implementation of a 2D shock-capturing method for matter fields.

Capability to simulate black hole and matter interactions in axisymmetric spacetimes.

Initial results on star-black hole collision scenarios.

Abstract

We present preliminary results in our long-term project of studying the evolution of matter in a dynamical spacetime. To achieve this, we have developed a new code to evolve axisymmetric initial data sets corresponding to a black hole surrounded by matter fields. The code is based on the coupling of two previously existing codes. The matter fields are evolved with a 2D shock-capturing method which uses the characteristic information of the GR hydro equations to build up a linearized Riemann solver. The spacetime is evolved with a 2D ADM code designed to evolve a wormhole in full general relativity. An example of the kind of problems we are currently investigating is the on axis collision of a star with a black hole.