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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology, gr-qc
Abstract:
Binary black hole simulations become increasingly more computationally
expensive with smaller mass ratios, partly because of the longer evolution
time, and partly because the lengthscale disparity dictates smaller time steps.
The program initiated by Dhesi et al. (arXiv:2109.03531) explores a method for
alleviating the scale disparity in simulations with mass ratios in the
intermediate astrophysical range ($10^{-4} \lesssim q \lesssim 10^{-2}$), where
purely perturbative methods may not be adequate. A region ("worldtube") much
larger than the small black hole is excised from the numerical domain, and
replaced with an analytical model approximating a tidally deformed black hole.
Here we apply this idea to a toy model of a scalar charge in a fixed circular
geodesic orbit around a Schwarzschild black hole, solving for the massless
Klein-Gordon field. This is a first implementation of the worldtube excision
method in full 3+1 dimensions. We demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of
the method, and discuss the steps towards applying it for evolving orbits and,
ultimately, in the binary black-hole scenario. Our implementation is publicly
accessible in the SpECTRE numerical relativity code.
