Numerical relativity

Summary

Numerical relativity is the branch of general relativity that computes approximate solutions of the Einstein field equations by numerical methods. Most work follows the initial value formulation. One solves the constraint equations for initial data, evolves them with a hyperbolic formulation, and extracts physical quantities such as gravitational waves. In 2005 the first complete simulations of the inspiral and merger of two black holes were achieved. They were done by Pretorius and by two groups using moving punctures. The waveforms computed in this way are used to detect and interpret signals in gravitational wave observatories.