Speaker:Scott Field, University of Maryland
Title: A Generalized Discontinuous Galerkin Scheme for Accurate Modeling of Binary Black Holes

Abstract: I will discuss a generalized discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method to model binary black hole systems in the extreme mass ratio limit. Such binary systems are well approximated by a linear hyperbolic PDE sourced with Dirac delta functions and their derivatives. DG methods provide a natural setting for distributional solutions which can be exactly represented through a suitable modification of the numerical flux. Furthermore, the method maintains spectral accuracy even at the location of the delta function. Part of the success is due to a rewriting the PDE as a first-order system with distributional constraints, and in this setting I will discuss the potential for "static Jost junk" solutions to arise from the specification of commonly used (inconsistent) initial data. Finally, I will briefly highlight recent work on recovering an asymptotic gravitational wave signal radiated to the far-field using only knowledge of the solution on a truncated, spatially finite, computational domain.

Time: Friday, February 8, 2013, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Place: Planetary Hall (formerly S & T I), Room 242

Department of Mathematical Sciences
George Mason University
4400 University Drive, MS 3F2
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
http://math.gmu.edu/
Tel. 703-993-1460, Fax. 703-993-1491