Quasi-stationary binary inspiral II: Radiation-balanced boundary conditions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method for approximating black hole binary inspiral by using a radiation-balanced boundary condition in a scalar field model, simplifying the study of strong gravitational fields.

Contribution

It presents a novel boundary condition approach that balances ingoing and outgoing radiation to approximate binary inspiral in a simplified scalar field model.

Findings

Fields can be obtained by solving a boundary value problem.

A good approximation to outgoing radiation is achieved through radiation balance.

The method effectively models strong field effects with suppressed radiation reaction.

Abstract

The quasi-stationary method for black hole binary inspiral is an approximation for studying strong field effects while suppressing radiation reaction. In this paper we use a nonlinear scalar field toy model (i) to explain the underlying method of approximating binary motion by periodic orbits with radiation; (ii) to show how the fields in such a model are found by the solution of a boundary value problem; (iii) to demonstrate how a good approximation to the outgoing radiation can be found by finding fields with a balance of ingoing and outgoing radiation (a generalization of standing waves).