\(3+1\) formalism in general relativity. Bases of numerical relativity. (Q765106): Difference between revisions

The monograph originating from lectures is devoted to the \(3+1\) formalism in general relativity. It starts with three chapters on basic differential geometry, the geometry of single hypersurfaces embedded in space-time, and the foliation of space-time by a family of spacelike hypersurfaces. Based on this, the decomposition of the Einstein equations relative to the decomposition is presented, formulating the Cauchy problem with constraints and giving rise to the ADM formalism. This is followed by the \(3+1\) treatment of a perfect fluid and the electromagnetic field as possible sources of gravitation. After these fundamentals, a technical chapter occurs that prepares the following more special aspects of the \(3+1\) formalism. It motivates and performs a conformal decomposition of the 3-metric on each hypersurface of a \(3+1\) foliation and introduces some conformal transformation of the 3-metric and the corresponding rewriting of the Einstein equations. In the following chapter, after providing a definition of asymptotic flatness, the global quantities are introduced that one may associate to the space-time or to each slice of the \(3+1\) foliation: the ADM mass, the ADM linear momentum, the total angular momentum, the Komar mass and the Komar angular momentum. The subsequent chapter shows how the conformal decomposition can be used to solve the constraint equations to get valid initial data for the time evolution. Afterwards, the choice of the foliation and the spatial coordinates in modern numerical relativity is reviewed. The final chapter presents various schemes for the time integration of the \(3+1\) Einstein equations, putting some emphasis on the successful BSSN scheme. Two appendices on basic tools of the \(3+1\) formalism and some computer algebra codes based on the Sage system complete the book. With the attempt to make the text self-consistent and complete, the calculations are rather detailed such that the book is well suitable for undergraduate and graduate students.