Accuracy Issues for Numerical Waveforms

ORAL

Abstract

We analyze the gravitational waveform error from the late inspiral, merger, and ringdown, and find that using several lower-order techniques for increasing the speed of numerical relativity simulations actually lead to apparently nonconvergent errors. Even when using standard high-accuracy techniques, rather than seeing clean convergence, where the waveform phase is a monotonic function of grid resolution, we find that the phase tends to oscillate with resolution, possibly due to stochastic errors induced by grid refinement boundaries.

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Authors

  • Yosef Zlochower

    • Rochester Intstitute of Technology

  • Marcelo Ponce

    • Department of Physics, University of Guelph
    • Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation, Rochester Institute of Technology \& Department of Physics, University of Guelph
    • University of Guelph

  • Carlos Lousto

    • Rochester Intstitute of Technology
    • Rochester Institute of Technology