Falloff of the Weyl scalars in binary black hole spacetimes

2011/05/31 by Ian Hinder, Barry Wardell, Eloisa Bentivegna
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Binary number #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Black hole (networking) #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Curvature #General relativity #Geodesic #Geodesics in general relativity #Geometry #Gravitational wave #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Null (SQL) #Numerical relativity #Physics #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Quantum mechanics #Spacetime #Tetrad #Theoretical physics #gr-qc

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.84.024036

published as Phys.Rev.D84:024036,2011 · 7 pages, 3 figures, published version

openalex publication_date 2011/07/19 · arxiv created 2013/06/12 · arxiv updated 2013/06/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

The peeling theorem of general relativity predicts that the Weyl curvature scalars \ensuremathΨ_n (n=0,…,4), when constructed from a suitable null tetrad in an asymptotically flat spacetime, fall off asymptotically as r^n\ensuremath-5 along outgoing radial null geodesics. This leads to the interpretation of \ensuremathΨ₄ as outgoing gravitational radiation at large distances from the source. We have performed numerical simulations in full general relativity of a binary black hole inspiral and merger, and have computed the Weyl scalars in the standard tetrad used in numerical relativity. In contrast with previous results [Phys. Rev. D 80, 121502 (2009).], we observe that all the Weyl scalars fall off according to the predictions of the theorem.

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