Search results for "Relativity"

Steady state shocks in accretion disks around a Kerr black hole

1994

Results of numerical simulations of shock solutions in a geometrical thin accretion disk around a Kerr black hole (BH) are presented. Using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) technique, the influence of the central object is included by means of an effective potential, We first present the theory of standing shock formation in accretion disks around a Kerr black hole, and show that the results of our numerical simulation agree very well with the theoretical results. We find that the shocks in an inviscid flow are very stable. We also remove the ambiguity prevalent regarding the location and stability of shocks in adiabatic flows. Finally we sketch some of the astrophysical consequenc…

U(N) invariant dynamics for a simplified loop quantum gravity model

2011

The implementation of the dynamics in Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) is still an open problem. Here, we discuss a tentative dynamics for the simplest class of graphs in LQG: Two vertices linked with an arbitrary number of edges. We use the recently introduced U(N) framework in order to construct SU(2) invariant operators and define a global U(N) symmetry that will select the homogeneous/isotropic states. Finally, we propose a Hamiltonian operator invariant under area-preserving deformations of the boundary surface and we identify possible connections of this model with Loop Quantum Cosmology.

Grid-based Methods in Relativistic Hydrodynamics and Magnetohydrodynamics

2015

An overview of grid-based numerical methods used in relativistic hydrodynamics (RHD) and magnetohydrodynamics (RMHD) is presented. Special emphasis is put on a comprehensive review of the application of high-resolution shock-capturing methods. Results of a set of demanding test bench simulations obtained with different numerical methods are compared in an attempt to assess the present capabilities and limits of the various numerical strategies. Applications to three astrophysical phenomena are briefly discussed to motivate the need for and to demonstrate the success of RHD and RMHD simulations in their understanding. The review further provides FORTRAN programs to compute the exact solution…

Focus on quantum Einstein gravity

2012

The gravitational asymptotic safety program summarizes the attempts to construct a consistent and predictive quantum theory of gravity within Wilson's generalized framework of renormalization. Its key ingredient is a non-Gaussian fixed point of the renormalization group flow which controls the behavior of the theory at trans-Planckian energies and renders gravity safe from unphysical divergences. Provided that the fixed point comes with a finite number of ultraviolet-attractive (relevant) directions, this construction gives rise to a consistent quantum field theory which is as predictive as an ordinary, perturbatively renormalizable one. This opens up the exciting possibility of establishin…

Building a numerical relativistic non-ideal magnetohydrodynamics code for astrophysical applications

2013

AbstractIncluding resistive effects in relativistic magnetized plasmas is a challenging task, that a number of authors have recently tackled employing different methods. From the numerical point of view, the difficulty in including non-ideal terms arises from the fact that, in the limit of very high plasma conductivity (i.e., close to the ideal MHD limit), the system of governing equations becomes stiff, and the standard explicit integrating methods produce instabilities that destroy the numerical solution. To deal with such a difficulty, we have extended the relativistic MHD code MR-GENESIS, to include a number of Implicit Explicit Runge-Kutta (IMEX-RK) numerical methods. To validate the i…

Cosmological background solutions and cosmological backreactions

2009

The cosmological backreaction proposal, which attempts to account for observations without a primary dark energy source in the stress-energy tensor, has been developed and discussed by means of different approaches. Here, we focus on the concept of cosmological background solutions in order to develop a framework to study different backreaction proposals.

Is empty spacetime a physical thing?

2005

This article deals with empty spacetime and the question of its physical reality. By "empty spacetime" we mean a collection of bare spacetime points, the remains of ridding spacetime of all matter and fields. We ask whether these geometric objects--themselves intrinsic to the concept of field--might be observable through some physical test. By taking quantum-mechanical notions into account, we challenge the negative conclusion drawn from the diffeomorphism invariance postulate of general relativity, and we propose new foundational ideas regarding the possible observation--as well as conceptual overthrow--of this geometric ether.

Preface: Amazonia in the route of General Relativity

2020

Relativistic perfect fluids in local thermal equilibrium

2017

Every evolution of a fluid is uniquely described by an energy tensor. But the converse is not true: an energy tensor may describe the evolution of different fluids. The problem of determining them is called here the {\em inverse problem}. This problem may admit unphysical or non-deterministic solutions. This paper is devoted to solve the inverse problem for perfect energy tensors in the class of perfect fluids evolving in local thermal equilibrium (l.t.e.). The starting point is a previous result (Coll and Ferrando in J Math Phys 30: 2918-2922, 1989) showing that thermodynamic fluids evolving in l.t.e. admit a purely hydrodynamic characterization. This characterization allows solving this i…

Black Hole Evaporation by Thermal Bath Removal

1996

We study the evaporation process of 2D black holes in thermal equilibrium when the incoming radiation is turned off. Our analysis is based on two different classes of 2D dilaton gravity models which are exactly solvable in the semiclassical aproximation including back-reaction. We consider a one parameter family of models interpolating between the Russo-Susskind-Thorlacius and Bose-Parker-Peleg models. We find that the end-state geometry is the same as the one coming from an evaporating black hole formed by gravitational collapse. We also study the quantum evolution of black holes arising in a model with classical action $S = {1\over2\pi} \int d^2x \sqrt{-g} (R\phi + 4\lambda^2e^{\beta\phi}…