TY - JOUR
T1 - Critical collapse of the massless scalar field in axisymmetry
AU - Choptuik, Matthew W.
AU - Hirschmann, Eric W.
AU - Liebling, Steven L.
AU - Pretorius, Frans
PY - 2003
Y1 - 2003
N2 - We present the results from a numerical study of critical gravitational collapse of axisymmetric distributions of massless scalar field energy. We find threshold behavior that can be described by the spherically symmetric critical solution with axisymmetric perturbations. However, we see indications of a growing, nonspherical mode about the spherically symmetric critical solution. The effect of this instability is that the small asymmetry present in what would otherwise be a spherically symmetric self-similar solution grows. This growth continues until a bifurcation occurs and two distinct regions form on the axis, each resembling the spherically symmetric self-similar solution. The existence of a nonspherical unstable mode is in conflict with previous perturbative results, and we therefore discuss whether such a mode exists in the continuum limit, or whether we are instead seeing a marginally stable mode that is rendered unstable by numerical approximation.
AB - We present the results from a numerical study of critical gravitational collapse of axisymmetric distributions of massless scalar field energy. We find threshold behavior that can be described by the spherically symmetric critical solution with axisymmetric perturbations. However, we see indications of a growing, nonspherical mode about the spherically symmetric critical solution. The effect of this instability is that the small asymmetry present in what would otherwise be a spherically symmetric self-similar solution grows. This growth continues until a bifurcation occurs and two distinct regions form on the axis, each resembling the spherically symmetric self-similar solution. The existence of a nonspherical unstable mode is in conflict with previous perturbative results, and we therefore discuss whether such a mode exists in the continuum limit, or whether we are instead seeing a marginally stable mode that is rendered unstable by numerical approximation.
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U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevD.68.044007
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevD.68.044007
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0141433334
SN - 1550-7998
VL - 68
JO - Physical review D: Particles and fields
JF - Physical review D: Particles and fields
IS - 4
M1 - 044007
ER -