Matthew Choptuik (University of British Columbia),

Solutions to Einstein’s equations of general relativity describe, among other things, the generation and propagation of gravitational waves. Interest in numerical relativity has been bolstered by the recent construction of gravitational wave observatories such as LIGO (the Laser Interferometric Gravitational-wave Observatory). This NSF-supported project consists of two observatories (near Hanford, Washington and Livingston, Louisiana) that began collecting data in September 2002. Astronomy has been revolutionized in the past by developing the ability to observe electromagnetic radiation in new wavelength regimes (e.g., by X-ray and radio telescopes). Similarly, if successful, the development of gravitational-wave observatories will surely lead to many new surprises. However, gravitational waves reaching earth are incredibly weak and have yet to be directly detected. Being able to predict the gravitational wave signature of various possible events would help interpret any data received and separate the weak signal from noise. Numerical relativity shares many features with other computational sciences involving systems of partial differential equations, such as computational fluid dynamics, solid mechanics, and optics. Many of the techniques developed to overcome computational difficulties in these areas are relevant to solving the Einstein equations as well. However, numerical relativity has challenges and complexitie