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Binary black holes on a budget: simulations using workstations

Pedro Marronetti1, Wolfgang Tichy1, Bernd Brügmann2, Jose González2, Mark Hannam2, Sascha Husa2 and Ulrich Sperhake2

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Binary black hole simulations have traditionally been computationally very expensive: current simulations are performed in supercomputers involving dozens if not hundreds of processors, thus systematic studies of the parameter space of binary black hole encounters still seem prohibitive with current technology. Here we show how the multi-layered refinement level code BAM can be used on dual processor workstations to simulate certain binary black hole systems. BAM, based on the moving punctures method, provides grid structures composed of boxes of increasing resolution near the centre of the grid. In the case of binaries, the highest resolution boxes are placed around each black hole and they track them in their orbits until the final merger when a single set of levels surrounds the black hole remnant. This is particularly useful when simulating spinning black holes since the gravitational fields gradients are larger. We present simulations of binaries with equal mass black holes with spins parallel to the binary axis and intrinsic magnitude of S/m2 = 0.75. Our results compare favourably to those of previous simulations of this particular system. We show that the moving punctures method produces stable simulations at maximum spatial resolutions up to M/160 and for durations of up to the equivalent of 20 orbital periods.


PACS

04.70.-s Physics of black holes

04.30.Db Wave generation and sources

04.25.D- Numerical relativity

MSC

83C57 Black holes

83C35 Gravitational waves

Subjects

Gravitation and cosmology

Dates

Issue 12 (21 June 2007)

Received 22 January 2007, in final form 8 May 2007

Published 30 May 2007



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