November 14, 2007
3pm in Howey Physics Lecture Room 5

 

Deirdre Shoemaker, Penn State

 

"Three Lessons on Astrophysics by Numerical Relativity"

Computer simulations of compact object binary systems have become an essential tool to investigate gravitational phenomena in the strongest and non-linear regime.  These simulations have unveiled phenomena impacting both gravitational physics and astrophysics.  In this talk, I will present three examples of computational results that have influenced or changed our understanding of astrophysics and gravity. The first example shows how numerical simulations shed light on the characterization of sources of gravitational radiation.  The second
demonstrates the influence of gravitational recoil on hierarchical
models of large scale structure formation in the universe.  The third example addresses the loss of "hair" by a binary system as it approaches its final state of rotating black hole.