Collision of Two Black Holes: Computer Generated Spacetime

Larry Smarr and B. S. Dewitt, Univ. of Texas at Austin — Revising an earlier approach by Andrej Cadez, we have developed a computer code to integrate the full Einstein equations starting from the Misner time-symmetric initial conditions. This generates the spacetime of two Schwarzschild black holes colliding head-on. We must solve four coupled hyperbolic (evolution) equations and one elliptic (maximal slicing) equation on each spacelike sheet, generalizing to two space dimensions the techniques successfully utilized to generate by computer the one black hole spacetime* Preliminary numerical results are presented.

*Estabrook, et. al., Phys. Rev. D7 2814 (1973).