Preparing numerical relativity for the next generation of gravitational-wave observatories
Abstract: Gravitational-wave astronomy has made huge strides in the last ten years, going from a novelty to a reliable way of observing the universe. The next decade promises to be just as revolutionary, with next-generation observatories having orders of magnitude higher sensitivities. Throughout all these improvements on the experimental side, our theoretical understanding of gravitational waves has also continued to improve. Numerical relativity, which computationally solves Einstein's equations, forms the foundation of our understanding of merging, comparable mass binary systems. While numerical relativity makes no simplifying approximations of the physics of such systems, its computational nature imposes limitations. At current detector sensitivities, numerical relativity has been proven to be plenty accurate, but as we look towards future detectors, this will no longer be the case. In this talk, we'll explore limitations of numerical relativity including finite grid resolution and waveform extraction.