Robert Owen

Biography

Dr. Owen works in general relativity theory, with particular emphasis on the numerical simulation of binary black holes. Such systems are of particular interest to gravitational wave astronomy, for development of template waveforms for experiments such as LIGO. These systems are also of interest in their own right as strongly dynamical solutions of Einstein's equations of general relativity. Most of our understanding of this fundamental theory of physics has come from looking at highly symmetric spacetimes (in which everything is stationary, or rotationally invariant, or translationally invariant, etc.), or weak perturbations of such highly-symmetric spacetimes. The general, fully nonlinear behavior of gravitational fields is only coming to light with the help of modern techniques of computer simulation.Dr. Owen has done work on the mathematical machinery underlying these numerical relativity simulations, such as finding representations of Einstein's equations that are particularly amenable to numerical treatment. He has also done work on interpreting numerical simulations. This process is clouded by the general covariance of general relativity: any statements one makes about what goes on in a spacetime must be made as unambiguous as possible, with respect to the frames of reference of possible observers. Dr. Owen has introduced methods to define the spin and higher multipole moments of nonstationary black hole horizons, tools to monitor the approach of a dynamical spacetime to its final stationary state, and tools to interpret the relationship between weak-field gravitational radiation, and the strong-field sources that produce it.

Selected Publications

• Frame-Dragging Vortexes and Tidal Tendexes Attached to Colliding Black Holes: Visualizing the Curvature of Spacetime. R. Owen, J. Brink, Y. Chen, J. Kaplan, G. Lovelace, K. Matthews, D. Nichols, M. Scheel, F. Zhang, A. Zimmerman, K. Thorne. PRL 106 151101, arxiv:1012.4869
• Degeneracy measures for the algebraic classification of numerical spacetimes. R. Owen. PRD 81 124042, arxiv:1004.3768
• The Final Remnant of Binary Black Hole Mergers: Multipolar Analysis. R. Owen. PRD 80 084012, arxiv:0907.0280
• Binary-black-hole initial data with nearly-extremal spins. G. Lovelace, R. Owen, H. Pfeiffer, T. Chu. PRD 78 084017, arxiv:0805.4192
• A New Generalized Harmonic Evolution System. L. Lindblom, M. Scheel, L. Kidder, R. Owen, O. Rinne. CQG 23 S447-S462, arxiv:gr-qc/0512093
• The Periodic Standing-Wave Approximation: Overview and Three Dimensional Scalar Models. Z. Andrade, C. Beetle, A. Blinov, B. Bromley, L. Burko, M. Cranor, R. Owen, R. Price. PRD 70 064001, arxiv:gr-qc/0310001