Turning the Einstein Equations into a Well-Posed Time Evolution Problem
Faculty of Mathematical Studies, Univ. of Southampton
The Einstein equations can be written almost as a set of wave equations for the metric (the shape) of space. If we really had wave equations, we could give initial values and time derivatives, and then evolve in time on a computer to find the metric at all times. However, the equations are not quite wave equations, and as they are the attempt to solve them on a computer is ultimately doomed. This pedagogical talk attempts to explain why this is so, and what numerical relativists are doing to overcome this problem.