Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “fluids and classical fields in curved spacetime”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

14 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Type-II spacetimes and the double copy for fluids metrics

In our previous paper [Keeler , From Navier-Stokes to Maxwell via Einstein, .] we discussed type-D and type-N fluid-dual spacetimes and provided their associated single copies in the context of the Weyl double copy. In this work we extend our analysis to more general fluids thereby requiring the application of the double-copy picture to type-II spacetimes. By combining our previous type-D and type-N fluids via their associated stream functions we construct an example of a viable type-II double copy. We show that the gravity duals of these fluids perturbatively satisfy Einstein’s equations. We use a near-horizon expansion to identify the type-II double copy for the fluid-dual spacetimes. We show a Maxwell spinor ansatz containing a heterogeneous bispinor component is necessary to provide a viable type-II double copy at the lowest order.

Fluid-gravity correspondence↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dust stars in the minimal exponential measure model

Here, we report the existence of horizonless compact object solutions supported by dust in the minimal exponential measure (MEMe) model, a theory which modifies the couplings between gravity and matter without introducing dynamical degrees of freedom. For a perfect fluid source, the field equations for the MEMe model can be rewritten as the Einstein field equations sourced by a perfect fluid with a transformed equation of state, which can endow a sufficiently dense cloud of dust with an effective pressure. The resulting dust-supported horizonless compact objects can have masses below ∼10 −11 ⁢𝑀 ⊙ , making them suitable as massive compact halo objects comprising a significant mass fraction for dark matter. A necessary condition for the existence of these compact object solutions is that the single free parameter in the MEMe model is positive valued. Additionally, we find that this positive sign for the parameter can provide a mechanism for suppressing the formation of (primordial) black holes from the gravitational collapse of matter below a certain mass scale.

alternative gravity theories↗
DOE OSTI2021

Signatures of deconfined quark phases in binary neutron star mergers

We investigate the quark deconfinement phase transition in the context of binary neutron star (BNS) mergers. We employ a new finite-temperature composition-dependent equation of state (EOS) with a first order phase transition between hadrons and deconfined quarks to perform numerical relativity simulations of BNS mergers. Here, the softening of the EOS due to the phase transition causes the merger remnants to be more compact and to collapse to a black hole (BH) at earlier times. The phase transition is imprinted on the postmerger gravitational wave (GW) signal duration, amplitude, and peak frequency. However, this imprint is only detectable for binaries with sufficiently long-lived remnants. Moreover, the phase transition does not result in significant deviations from quasi-universal relations for the postmerger GW peak frequency. We also study the impact of the phase transition on dynamical ejecta, remnant accretion disk masses, r-process nucleosynthetic yields and associated electromagnetic (EM) counterparts. While there are differences in the EM counterparts and nucleosynthesis yields between the purely hadronic models and the models with phase transitions, these can be primarily ascribed to the difference in remnant collapse time between the two. An exception is the non-thermal afterglow caused by the interaction of the fastest component of the dynamical ejecta and the interstellar medium, which is systematically boosted in the binaries with phase transition as a consequence of the more violent merger they experience.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Numerical relativity simulations of prompt collapse mergers: Threshold mass and phenomenological constraints on neutron star properties after GW170817

We determine the threshold mass for prompt (no bounce) black hole formation in equal-mass neutron star (NS) mergers using a new set of 227 numerical relativity simulations. We consider 23 phenomenological and microphysical finite-temperature equations of state (EOS), including models with hyperons and first-order phase transitions to deconfined quarks. We confirm the existence of EOS-insensitive relations between the threshold mass, binary tidal parameter at the threshold (Λth), maximum mass of nonrotating NSs, and radii of reference mass NSs. We combine the EOS-insensitive relations, phenomenological constraints on NS properties, and observational data from GW170817 to derive an improved lower limit on radii of maximum mass and a 1.6 M ⊙ NS of 9.81 and 10.90 km, respectively. We also constrain the radius and quadrupolar tidal deformability (Λ) of a 1.4 M ⊙ NS to be larger than 10.74 km and 172, respectively. We consider uncertainties in all independent parameters—fitting coefficients as well as GW170817 masses while reporting the range of radii constraints. We discuss an approach to constrain the upper as well as lower limit of NS maximum mass using future binary NS detections and their identification as prompt or delayed collapse. With future observations, it will be possible to derive even tighter constraints on the properties of matter at and above nuclear density using the method proposed in this work.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Halo formation from Yukawa forces in the very early Universe

If long-range attractive forces exist and are stronger than gravity then cosmic halo formation can begin in the radiation-dominated era. We study a simple realization of this effect in a system where dark matter fermions have Yukawa interactions mediated by scalar particles, analogous to the Higgs boson in the standard model. We develop a self-consistent description of the system including exact background dynamics of the scalar field, and precise modeling of the fermion density fluctuations. For the latter, we provide accurate approximations for the linear growth as well as quantitative modeling of the nonlinear evolution using N-body simulations. We find that halo formation occurs exponentially fast and on scales substantially larger than simple estimates predict. Here, the final fate of these halos remains uncertain, but could be annihilation, dark stars, primordial black holes, or even the existence of galaxy-sized halos at matter-radiation equality. More generally, our results demonstrate the importance of mapping scalar-mediated interactions onto structure formation outcomes and constraints for beyond the standard model theories.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Geometric and thermodynamic characterization of binary neutron star accretion discs

Accretion disks formed in binary neutron star mergers play a central role in many astrophysical processes of interest, including the launching of relativistic jets or the ejection of neutron-rich matter hosting heavy element nucleosynthesis. In this work we analyze in detail the properties of accretion disks from 44 ab initio binary neutron star merger simulations for a large set of nuclear equations of state, binary mass ratios, and remnant fates, with the aim of furnishing reliable initial conditions for disk simulations and a comprehensive characterization of their properties. We find that the disks have a significant thermal support, with an aspect ratio decreasing with the mass ratio of the binary from ~0.7 to 0.3. Even if the disk sample spans a broad range in mass and angular momentum, their ratio is independent from the equation of state and from the mass ratio. This can be traced back to the rotational profile of the disk, characterized by a constant specific angular momentum (as opposed to a Keplerian one) of 3 – 5×10 16 cm 2 s –1 . The profiles of the entropy per baryon and of the electron fraction depend on the mass ratio of the binary. For more symmetric binaries, they follow a sigmoidal distribution as a function of the rest mass density, for which we provide a detailed description and a fit. Furthermore, the disk properties discussed in this work can be used as a robust set of initial conditions for future long-term simulations of accretion disks from binary neutron star mergers, posing the basis for progress in the quantitative study of the outflow properties.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Impact of moment-based, energy integrated neutrino transport on microphysics and ejecta in binary neutron star mergers

We present an extensive study of the effects of neutrino transport in three-dimensional general relativistic radiation hydrodynamics (GRHD) simulations of binary neutron star (BNS) mergers using our moment-based, energy-integrated neutrino radiation transport (M1) scheme. Here, we consider a total of eight BNS configurations, while varying equation of state models, mass ratios, and grid resolutions, for a total of 16 simulations. We find that M1 neutrino transport is crucial in modeling the local absorption of neutrinos and the deposition of lepton number throughout the medium. We provide an in-depth look at the effects of neutrinos on the fluid dynamics and luminosity during the late inspiral and postmerger phases, the properties of ejecta and outflow, and the postmerger nucleosynthesis. The simulations presented in this work comprise an extensive study of the combined effect of the equation of state and M1 neutrino transport in GRHD simulations of BNS mergers, and establish that the solution provided by our M1 scheme is robust across system properties.

150 ≤ A ≤ 18959 ≤ A ≤ 8990 ≤ A ≤ 149↗
DOE OSTI2025

General relativistic hydrodynamic simulations of binary strange star mergers

We perform fully general-relativistic simulations of binary strange star mergers considering two different approaches for thermal effects. The first uses a cold equation of state (EOS) derived from a modified version of the MIT bag model which is then supplemented by a Γ-law correction. The second approach employs a microphysical description of the finite-temperature effects. We describe results obtained with the two treatments, highlighting the influence of thermal effects. We find that the postmerger dynamics differs significantly in the two cases, leading to quantitative differences in the postmerger gravitational-wave spectrum and ejecta mass. The peak frequency of the postmerger gravitational-wave emission is consistent with the established quasi-universal relations for binary neutron star mergers and as a result, our simulations cannot distinguish between mergers of neutron stars and those of strange stars. Our models with realistic treatment of finite-temperature effects produce a significant amount of ejecta ≳0.02 M ⊙ ​. Here, the resulting flux of strangelets near the Earth, computed assuming that all neutron star mergers are in fact strange-stars mergers and that the binary considered here is representative, is in tension with experimental upper limits. As such, our results tentatively disfavor a scenario in which strange-quark matter is the lowest energy state of matter.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Probing the Incompressibility of Nuclear Matter at Ultrahigh Density through the Prompt Collapse of Asymmetric Neutron Star Binaries

Using 250 neutron star merger simulations with microphysics, we explore for the first time the role of nuclear incompressibility in the prompt collapse threshold for binaries with different mass ratios. We demonstrate that observations of prompt collapse thresholds, either from binaries with two different mass ratios or with one mass ratio but combined with the knowledge of the maximum neutron star mass or compactness, will constrain the incompressibility at the maximum neutron star density K max to within tens of percent. This otherwise inaccessible measure of K max can potentially reveal the presence of hyperons or quarks inside neutron stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Magnetic flux emergence in binary neutron star remnants

Using high-resolution AthenaK simulations of a twisted toroidal flux tube, we study the flux emergence of magnetic structures in the shear layer of a hot massive neutron star typical of a binary neutron star remnant. High-resolution simulations demonstrate that magnetic buoyant instabilities allow for emergence only for extremely large magnetic fields significantly exceeding 10 17 G, and more typical fields around 10 16 G are instead dominated by hydrodynamic effects. Because merger remnants tend to be stable against hydrodynamic convection, our work places strong limitations on the mechanisms by which massive binary neutron star remnants can produce the magnetically-driven outflows needed to power jets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Towards Full ‘Galilei General Relativity’: Gravitational Kinematics in Bargmann Spacetimes

Because of the strict separation of mass and energy in Galilei physics, a Galilei-invariant tensor formalism is most at home in a 5-dimensional extended spacetime associated with the Bargmann-Galilei (traditionally ‘Bargmann’) group, a central extension of the Galilei group that explicitly exhibits the transformation properties of kinetic energy. While not necessary for a tensor formalism fully embodying Poincaré physics, a similar central extension of the Poincaré group to the Bargmann-Poincaré group may illuminate a path towards a strong-field ‘Galilei general relativity’. Here the Bargmann metric is generalized to curved spacetime by extending the usual 1+3 (traditionally ‘3+1’) formalism of general relativity on 4-dimensional spacetime to a 1+3+1 formalism, whose spacetime kinematics is shown to be consistent with that of the usual 1+3 formalism. On Bargmann spacetime, tensor laws governing the motion of an elementary classical material particle and the dynamics of a simple fluid reference the foliation of spacetime in a manner that partially reverts the Einstein perspective (accelerated fiducial observers, and geodesic material particles and fluid elements) to a Newton-like perspective (geodesic fiducial observers, and accelerated material particles and fluid elements subject to a gravitational force).

Cardall, Christian [ORNL] (ORCID:000000020086105X)↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Unified Perspective on Poincaré and Galilei Relativity: II. General Relativity: A. Kinematics

Building on the first paper in this series (Paper I), a unified perspective on Poincaré and Galilei physics in a 5-dimensional spacetime setting is further pursued through a consideration of the kinematics of general relativity, with the gravitational dynamics to be addressed separately. The metric of the 5-dimensional affine spacetimes governed by the Bargmann groups considered in Paper I (central extensions of the Poincaré and Galilei groups) is generalized to curved spacetime by extending the usual 1 + 3 (traditionally ‘3 + 1’) formalism of general relativity on 4-dimensional spacetime to a 1 + 3 + 1 formalism, whose spacetime kinematics is shown to be consistent with that of the usual 1 + 3 formalism. Spacetime tensor laws governing the motion of an elementary classical material particle and the dynamics of a simple fluid are presented, along with their 1 + 3 + 1 decompositions; these reference the foliation of spacetime in a manner that partially reverts the Einstein perspective (accelerated fiducial observers, and geodesic material particles and fluid elements) to a Newton-like perspective (geodesic fiducial observers, and accelerated material particles and fluid elements subject to a gravitational force). These spacetime laws of motion for particles and fluids also suggest that a strong-field Galilei general relativity would involve a limit in which not only 𝑐 → ∞ but also 𝐺 → ∞ , such that 𝐺/𝑐 2 remains constant.

Bargmann group↗