Applied and Computational Mathematics Seminar

Seminar Details

Speaker:
Conor O'Toole
Affiliation:
University College Dublin
Title:
Time Domain Method for the Green Function in Schwarzschild Spacetime
Time:
1PM Monday, 15 October 2018
Location:
SCN 1.25, O'Brien Centre for Science (North)

Abstract

We discuss a method for modelling stellar-mass bodies inspiralling into massive (10^6 solar masses and up) black holes. This problem has significance for the European Space Agency's LISA mission, the first space-based gravitational wave observatory, planned for launch in 2034. The approach taken is to calculate the Green Function, in particular for an object moving around a Schwarzschild (non-rotating) black hole. This can then be used to calculate the so-called "self-force", orbital evolution and resulting gravitational radiation. By rewriting the wave equation in this background spacetime, we show how this problem can be posed as an initial value problem in effectively flat, 2D spacetime, allowing for a relatively straightforward numerical calculation of the Green's Function. We will outline this algorithm, the necessary initial conditions, and present results of this approach.

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