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Numerical methods for General Relativistic particles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 April 2020

Fabio Bacchini
Affiliation:
CmPA, Department of Mathematics, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200B, B-3001, Leuven, Belgium email: fabio.bacchini@kuleuven.be
Bart Ripperda
Affiliation:
Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton, NJ 08544 Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute, 162 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA
Alexander Y. Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton, NJ 08544
Lorenzo Sironi
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, 550 W 120th St, New York, NY 10027, USA
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Abstract

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We present recent developments on numerical algorithms for computing photon and particle trajectories in the surrounding of compact objects. Strong gravity around neutron stars or black holes causes relativistic effects on the motion of massive particles and distorts light rays due to gravitational lensing. Efficient numerical methods are required for solving the equations of motion and compute i) the black hole shadow obtained by tracing light rays from the object to a distant observer, and ii) obtain information on the dynamics of the plasma at the microscopic scale. Here, we present generalized algorithms capable of simulating ensembles of photons or massive particles in any spacetime, with the option of including external forces. The coupling of these tools with GRMHD simulations is the key point for obtaining insight on the complex dynamics of accretion disks and jets and for comparing simulations with upcoming observational results from the Event Horizon Telescope.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
© International Astronomical Union 2020

References

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