New approach to calculating the News

Abstract

We consider the problem of finding the gravitational radiation output, or news, within the context of a numerical simulation of a spacetime by means of the null-cone, or characteristic, approach to numerical relativity. We develop a method for computing the news that uses an explicit coordinate transformation to a coordinate system that satisfies the Bondi conditions. The method has been implemented computationally. We present results of applying the method to certain test problems, demonstrating second order convergence of the news to the analytic value.

Some additions and minor changes in presentation. Accepted for publication in PRD