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Black-hole formation and growth: Simulations in general relativity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 April 2011

S. L. Shapiro
Affiliation:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
Mario Livio
Affiliation:
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore
Anton M. Koekemoer
Affiliation:
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore
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Summary

Black holes are popping up all over the place: in compact binary x-ray sources and GRBs, in quasars, AGNs and the cores of all bulge galaxies, in binary black holes and binary black hole–neutron stars, and maybe even in the Large Hadron Collider! Black holes are strong-field objects governed by Einstein's equations of general relativity. Hence general relativistic, numerical simulations of dynamical phenomena involving black holes may help reveal ways in which black holes can form, grow, and be detected in the universe. To convey the state-of-the art, we summarize several representative simulations here, including the collapse of a hypermassive neutron star to a black hole following the merger of a binary neutron star, the magnetorotational collapse of a massive star to a black hole, and the formation and growth of supermassive black hole seeds by relativistic MHD accretion in the early universe.

Introduction

Black holes are ‘sighted’ everywhere in the universe these days. Originally located in compact binary x-ray sources in the 1970s, the cosmic presence of black holes has expanded considerably in recent decades. They now are believed to be the central engines that power quasars, active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). They are identified in the cores of all bulge galaxies. They are presumed to form significant populations of compact binaries, including black hole–black hole binaries (BHBHs) and black hole–neutron star binaries (BHNSs). Black holes may even show up soon in the Large Hadron Collider!

Gravitationally, black holes are strong-field objects whose properties are governed by Einstein's theory of relativistic gravitation—general relativity.

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Black Holes , pp. 238 - 251
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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