Dear Colleagues,
The journal Symmetry has a special issue on “Numerical Relativity and Gravitational Wave” and is now open for submission. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2020.
Numerical relativity (NR) is currently a major topic connecting general relativity to computational astrophysics and simulation science. After the 2006 breakthroughs in the simulation of black hole collisions, the field developed in several directions. Current applications range from multimessenger astrophysics modeling to cosmology, with new formal and numerical aspects under development.
Key astrophysical NR applications involve the simulations of mergers of neutron stars and black holes and of core collapse supernovae. Binary black hole simulations crucially helped the characterization of the first gravitational signals detected by the LIGO-Virgo experiments. Their increasing accuracy and completeness is driving waveform modeling for gravitationalwave astronomy. General relativistic fluidynamics simulations of compact binary mergers are essential to study the engines that power electromagnetic observables. Strong gravity is also a primary component for quantitative simulations of stellar collapse and accretion onto compact objects.
Fundamental applications of NR tools are the dynamical stability of compact objects, scenarios for black hole formation, and investigations of the cosmic censorship conjecture. Critical phenomena in gravitational collapse were a genuine numerical discovery and are currently being extended to nonspherical symmetries and multidimensions. High-energy black-hole collisions can be used to probe black-hole formation in proton-proton collisions at particle colliders or in cosmic-ray showers hitting the Earth’s atmosphere. The field is evolving also towards the exploration of alternative theories of gravity, black-hole studies in the context of the gauge-gravity duality, and the first cosmological applications.
The purpose of this Special Issue is to collect new original contributions in the broad field of numerical relativity. We welcome contributions exploring new formalisms and new numerical methods for Einstein equations, as well as new applications of NR methods in all areas.
Prof. Dr. Sebastiano Bernuzzi
(Guest Editor)