Date of Award
Fall 2025
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
March 2026
College Granting Degree
Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Michal Pirog
Additional Committee Member 1
Yaouen Fily
Additional Committee Member 2
Justin Perry
Abstract
Binary Neutron Star (BNS) mergers are among the most energetic events in the universe, producing gravitational waves, electromagnetic radiation, and heavy elements. While previous research has utilized simulations for collisions, few studies have accounted for how the spin of the stars affects mergers. This thesis contains a general overview of the topic and a research component conducted in the field of numerical relativity. High-performance computing was used to simulate BNS collisions, examining how spin affects the inspiral, merger, and post-merger phases. Computations used the Einstein Toolkit, Cactus framework, and the numerical tool developed by the FAU Relativity Group, Sgrid. The programming languages involved here were Fortran and C. Numerical calculations were performed using FAU’s Athene High-Performance Computing (HPC) cluster. We anticipate improved accuracy on BNS merger simulations and insights into how spin influences merger behavior. The results will contribute to our understanding of BNS behavior and refine current astrophysical models.
Recommended Citation
White, Victoria, "NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF HIGHLY ECCENTRIC SYSTEMS OF BINARY NEUTRON STARS WITH SPIN" (2025). Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses. 2.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_honors/2