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Application of Methods from Numerical Relativity to Late-Universe Cosmology

Mertens, James B
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1904-1913
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1484497200032472

Abstract Details

2017, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Physics.
One of the biggest challenges to our current understanding of fundamental physics is the unknown matter-energy content of the universe. Thought to be dominated by dark energy and dark matter, a variety of models have arisen attempting to describe these components, with possible explanations ranging from modifications to the theory of general relativity to hypothetical fields driving the accelerated expansion of the universe. As new theories are developed to describe the underlying physics of dark energy and dark matter, increasing levels of precision and accuracy are required from both theoretical predictions and observational data in order to differentiate between various models. Numerical simulations enable predictions with sub-percent-level accuracy to be extracted from these theories and compared to observations. However, developing sufficiently realistic numerical models requires the consideration of a wide range of physical effects, including gravitational interactions and stress-energy sources. This thesis presents new tools for modeling gravitational effects using the full theory of general relativity, with the goal of enabling the determination of a correct model of fundamental dark sector physics. In this work, a novel formulation of general relativity is developed and applied in a cosmological setting. A code developed to numerically evolve this formulation is presented in detail. A demonstration of the code's ability to accurately model cosmological dynamics is included as a proof of concept, illustrating the potential of this approach to predict observable consequences of gravitational interactions with unprecedented accuracy.
Glenn Starkman (Committee Chair)
Tom Giblin (Committee Member)
Craig Copi (Committee Member)
Longhua Zhao (Committee Member)
127 p.
Astrophysics; Physics
Physics, Astrophysics, Cosmology, General Relativity

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Mertens, J. B. (2017). Application of Methods from Numerical Relativity to Late-Universe Cosmology [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1484497200032472

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Mertens, James. Application of Methods from Numerical Relativity to Late-Universe Cosmology. 2017. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1484497200032472.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Mertens, James. "Application of Methods from Numerical Relativity to Late-Universe Cosmology." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1484497200032472

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1484497200032472
984
© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.