Towards wave extraction in numerical relativity: foundations and initial value formulation
Year: 2004
Type: preprint
Abstract: The Teukolsky formalism of black hole perturbation theory describes weak gravitational radiation generated by a mildly dynamical hole near equilibrium. A particular null tetrad of the background Kerr geometry, due to Kinnersley, plays a singularly important role within this formalism. In order to apply the rich physical intuition of Teukolsky's approach to the results of fully non-linear numerical simulations, one must approximate this Kinnersley tetrad using raw numerical data, with no a priori knowledge of a background. This paper addresses this issue by identifying the directions of the tetrad fields in a quasi-Kinnersley frame. This frame provides a unique, analytic extension of Kinnersley's definition for the Kerr geometry to a much broader class of space-times including not only arbitrary perturbations, but also many examples which differ non-perturbatively from Kerr. This paper establishes concrete limits delineating this class and outlines a scheme to calculate the quasi-Kinnersley frame in numerical codes based on the initial-value formulation of geometrodynamics.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2303235117