Twist-free axisymmetric critical collapse of a complex scalar field

Abstract

Critical phenomena in gravitational collapse are characterized by the emergence of surprising structure in solution space, namely the appearance of universal power-laws and periodicities near the threshold of collapse, and a universal discretely self-similar solution at the threshold itself. The seminal work of M. Choptuik spurred a comprehensive investigation of extreme spherical spacetimes in numerical relativity, with analogous results for numerous matter models. Recent research suggests that the generalization to less symmetric scenarios is subtle. In twist-free axisymmetric vacuum collapse for instance, numerical evidence suggests a breakdown of universality of solutions at the threshold of collapse. In this study, we explore gravitational collapse involving a massless complex scalar field minimally coupled to general relativity. We employ the pseudospectral code BAMPS to investigate a neighborhood of the spherically symmetric critical solution in phase space, focusing on aspherical departures from it. First, working in explicit spherical symmetry, we find strong evidence that the spacetime metric of the spherical critical solution of the complex scalar field agrees with that of the Choptuik solution. We then examine universality of the behavior of solutions near the threshold of collapse as the departure from spherical symmetry increases, comparing with recent investigations of the real scalar field. We present a series of well-tuned numerical results and document shifts of the power-law exponent and periods as a function of the degree of asphericity of the initial data. At sufficiently high asphericities we find that the center of collapse bifurcates, on the symmetry axis, but away from the origin. Finally we look for and evaluate evidence that in the highly aspherical setting the collapse is driven by gravitational waves.

22 pages, 10 figures

References in corpus (14)

• Stable radiation-controlling boundary conditions for the generalized harmonic Einstein equations
• Constrained evolution in axisymmetry and the gravitational collapse of prolate Brill waves
• The initial value problem as it relates to numerical relativity
• Outer boundary conditions for Einstein's field equations in harmonic coordinates
• Evolutions of centered Brill waves with a pseudospectral method
• Critical phenomena in the collapse of gravitational waves
• Evolution of Brill waves with an adaptive pseudospectral method
• Adaptive hp-Refinement for Spectral Elements in Numerical Relativity
• Boson star head-on collisions with constraint-violating and constraint-satisfying initial data
• Critical phenomena in the collapse of quadrupolar and hexadecapolar gravitational waves
• Critical gravitational collapse of a massive complex scalar field
• Formulation Improvements for Critical Collapse Simulations
• An Implementation of DF-GHG with Application to Spherical Black Hole Excision
• Twisted Self-Similarity and the Einstein Vacuum Equations

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Simulations of gravitational collapse in null coordinates: II. Critical collapse of an axisymmetric scalar field
• Non-spherical effects on the mass function of Primordial Black Holes
• Simulations of Ellipsoidal Primordial Black Hole Formation
• Simulating binary black hole mergers using discontinuous Galerkin methods
• Quantum correlations in a gravitational collapse simulation with SpheriCo.jl
• Twist and higher modes of a complex scalar field at the threshold of collapse
• Phase transition analogs in laser collisions with a dark-field setup
• Pseudospectral implementation of the Einstein-Maxwell system