Numerical Simulations of Merging Black Holes and Neutron Stars

Gravitational waves and electromagnetic signals from merging compact objects provide us with a remarkable opportunity to study general relativity, nuclear physics, and high-energy astrophysics in new and extreme regimes. In order to interpret current and upcoming observations of these systems, we rely on both analytical and numerical modeling. In this talk, I will discuss the role played by numerical simulations in the modeling of neutron star-neutron star and black hole-neutron star binary mergers. I will review how numerical simulations have informed our understanding of the dynamics of neutron star mergers, and how they constrain existing gravitational waveform models. Finally, I will discuss the importance of magnetic fields and neutrinos in neutron star mergers, and show that proper modeling of these effects in numerical simulations is critical to our understanding of the electromagnetic signals powered by mergers.