ICTS Course no.: PHY-433.5
Venue: Online
Class timings: Wednesday 2-3:30pm / Thursday 3:45-5pm
First meeting: January 19, 2022
Course description: Reading course based primarily on Baumgarte & Shapiro's book: "Numerical Relativity: solving Einstein's equations on the Computer". Following chapters in order, followed by additional readings:
1. General Relativity preliminaries
2. The 3+1 decomposition of Einstein's equations
4. Choosing coordinates: lapse and shift
3. Constructing initial data
12. Binary black hole initial data
11. Recasting the evolution equations
13. Binary black hole evolution
7. Locating black hole horizons
6.2 Numerical Methods: Finite Difference
6.3 Numerical Methods: Spectral
A1. Numerical Methods: Discontinuous Galerkin
A2. Assignment: Literature Review of advanced topic
A3. Assignment: Evolve scalar waves in curved spacetime using open-source NR codes
Format: Two sessions a week each of 90 minutes with students presenting. Interim problems for tutorials, review assignments for advanced topics.
Evaluation: The final grade will be based on the following components:
- Presentation of readings: 40%
- Final assignment paper + viva: 30% + 10%
- Homework problems: 20%
- Teacher: Prayush Kumar