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[[File:{{#setmainimage:bh.png}}|alt=BlackHoles@Home logo image|center|frameless]]
{{Infobox software
| name                = BlackHoles@Home
| logo                 = Bh.png
| logo caption        =
| screenshot          =
| caption              = Planned volunteer computing project for numerical relativity simulations


[https://blackholesathome.net/ '''''BlackHoles@Home'''''] is a '''''[[wikipedia:Volunteer computing|volunteer distributed computing]]''''' project that needs your help to run Black hole collision simulations to maximize the science gained from gravitational wave observations.
| status              = Not Started
| category            = Astrophysics
| compute              =
| dependencies        =
 
| developer            = Etienne Research Group (Prof. Z. Etienne)
| released            = Not released
| repository          = {{URL|https://github.com/nrpy/nrpy}}
 
| programming language = C, C++, Python (NRPy+ framework)
| operating system    =
 
| stats as of          =
| average performance  =
| active users        =
| total users          =
| active hosts        =
| total hosts          =
 
| rac                  =
| credit per day      =
| gpu performance      =
| cpu performance      =
 
 
| website              = {{URL|https://blackholesathome.net/}}
| license              = Open-source components (NRPy+, SymPy)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sympy.org/|title=SymPy Computer Algebra System}}</ref>
 
}}
 
[https://blackholesathome.net/ '''''BlackHoles@Home'''''] will be a '''''[[wikipedia:Volunteer computing|volunteer distributed computing]]''''' project seeking assistance in conducting black hole collision simulations. These simulations are intended to support analysis of gravitational wave observations of merging black holes.
 
[[File:Image.png|thumb|Numerical relativity grid structure used in modern simulations of compact binaries (illustrative).]]
 
__TOC__
 
== Overview ==
BlackHoles@Home is a proposed [[wikipedia:Volunteer computing|volunteer distributed computing]] project aimed at performing numerical simulations of binary black hole inspirals and mergers. The project is motivated by the need for large catalogs of gravitational waveform templates used in the interpretation of gravitational wave detections.
 
The project builds conceptually on advances in [[wikipedia:numerical relativity|numerical relativity]], the field of solving Einstein’s field equations using high-performance computation. These simulations are essential for modeling the strong-field regime of general relativity where analytic solutions are not available.
[[File:Black hole collision and merger releasing gravitational waves.jpg|thumb|Black hole collision and merger releasing gravitational waves]]
 
== Scientific Context ==
The two-body problem in general relativity—such as two orbiting black holes—requires solving Einstein’s field equations numerically. Unlike the Newtonian two-body problem, these systems emit gravitational waves, carrying away energy and angular momentum, causing the objects to inspiral and eventually merge.
 
The first direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015 by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration confirmed long-standing predictions of general relativity and marked the beginning of gravitational wave astronomy<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/page/detection-companion-papers|title=LIGO Scientific Collaboration – GW150914 discovery papers}}</ref>.


== Why BlackHoles@Home? ==
== Why BlackHoles@Home? ==
When a gravitational wave is observed, answering the question "What exactly produced this?" is crucial to advancing science. Inferring physical properties of even the simplest observed gravitational wave source-black hole binaries-requires catalogs of numerical relativity gravitational waveforms spanning all seven dimensions of intrinsic parameter space (i.e., mass ratio, plus the three spin vector components of each black hole). Due to the requirement that virtually all numerical relativity simulations to date be run on supercomputers, all such catalogs combined sample this parameter space to only about 3 points per dimension.
Accurate gravitational waveform catalogs are required to interpret signals detected by observatories such as LIGO and Virgo. These catalogs are typically generated using supercomputer-scale numerical relativity simulations.
 
BlackHoles@Home is intended to reduce the computational cost of such simulations by approximately an order of magnitude or more through optimized numerical grids and efficient coordinate systems.
 
== Methods ==
The proposed system relies on modern formulations of the Einstein field equations implemented in curvilinear coordinate systems, including spherical-like coordinates, which can improve computational efficiency in compact binary systems.
 
The project is closely associated with the NRPy+ framework, an open-source symbolic code generation system that converts tensorial expressions into optimized C code using the SymPy computer algebra system<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/nrpy/nrpy|title=NRPy+ Numerical Relativity Code Generation Framework}}</ref>.


These tiny catalogs have been sufficient for noisy gravitational wave observations to date, as the noise acts to obscure the relatively small effects of misaligned spins, but they will not be good enough moving forward.
NRPy+ is designed to support numerical relativity research by automating derivation and optimization of evolution equations for Einstein’s equations.


== Goal ==
== Software and Infrastructure ==
BlackHoles@Home aims to reduce the cost of numerical relativity black hole and neutron star binary simulations by ~100x, through adoption of numerical grids that fully exploit near-symmetries in these systems.
If implemented, BlackHoles@Home would operate on the [[wikipedia:Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing|BOINC]] platform, allowing volunteer computers to contribute computational resources to large-scale simulations.


With this cost savings, black hole binary merger simulations can be performed entirely on a consumer-grade desktop (or laptop) computer.[https://etienneresearch.com/]
BOINC has been widely used in scientific distributed computing projects such as SETI@home and Einstein@Home.


== Methods ==
== Project Status ==
* always including "why BOINC"?
As of its last public description, BlackHoles@Home remains a planned project and has not yet been launched as an active BOINC project. Development efforts have focused primarily on the underlying numerical relativity software stack rather than a production volunteer computing deployment.
* (Optional) insert MediaWiki image or upload[[File:Example of a GUI.png|alt=example mediawiki image|none|thumb|example MediaWiki image]]
 
* impactful final statement
== Team and Funding ==
The project is associated with Prof. Z. Etienne and the Etienne Research Group. Funding sources have included NSF grant PHY-1806596, NSF EPSCoR Grant 1458952, and NASA grants 80NSSC18K0538 and 80NSSC18K1488.
 
== Related Work ==
* [[wikipedia:Numerical relativity]]
* [[wikipedia:Gravitational wave]]
* [[wikipedia:LIGO Scientific Collaboration]]
* [[wikipedia:BOINC]]
* [[wikipedia:Einstein@Home]]
 
== External links ==
* https://blackholesathome.net/
* https://github.com/nrpy/nrpy
* https://boinc.berkeley.edu/


== Project team / Sponsors ==
== References ==
Prof. Z. Etienne. Primarily funded by NSF grant PHY-1806596. It is also funded by NSF EPSCoR Grant 1458952 and NASA grants 80NSSC18K0538 and 80NSSC18K1488.
<references />

Latest revision as of 13:28, 29 May 2026











BlackHoles@Home
Project
StatusNot Started
CategoryAstrophysics
Development
DeveloperEtienne Research Group (Prof. Z. Etienne)
Initial releaseNot released
Repositoryhttps://github.com/nrpy/nrpy
Software
Written inC, C++, Python (NRPy+ framework)
Metadata
Websitehttps://blackholesathome.net/
LicenseOpen-source components (NRPy+, SymPy)[1]

BlackHoles@Home will be a volunteer distributed computing project seeking assistance in conducting black hole collision simulations. These simulations are intended to support analysis of gravitational wave observations of merging black holes.

Numerical relativity grid structure used in modern simulations of compact binaries (illustrative).

Overview

BlackHoles@Home is a proposed volunteer distributed computing project aimed at performing numerical simulations of binary black hole inspirals and mergers. The project is motivated by the need for large catalogs of gravitational waveform templates used in the interpretation of gravitational wave detections.

The project builds conceptually on advances in numerical relativity, the field of solving Einstein’s field equations using high-performance computation. These simulations are essential for modeling the strong-field regime of general relativity where analytic solutions are not available.

Black hole collision and merger releasing gravitational waves

Scientific Context

The two-body problem in general relativity—such as two orbiting black holes—requires solving Einstein’s field equations numerically. Unlike the Newtonian two-body problem, these systems emit gravitational waves, carrying away energy and angular momentum, causing the objects to inspiral and eventually merge.

The first direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015 by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration confirmed long-standing predictions of general relativity and marked the beginning of gravitational wave astronomy[2].

Why BlackHoles@Home?

Accurate gravitational waveform catalogs are required to interpret signals detected by observatories such as LIGO and Virgo. These catalogs are typically generated using supercomputer-scale numerical relativity simulations.

BlackHoles@Home is intended to reduce the computational cost of such simulations by approximately an order of magnitude or more through optimized numerical grids and efficient coordinate systems.

Methods

The proposed system relies on modern formulations of the Einstein field equations implemented in curvilinear coordinate systems, including spherical-like coordinates, which can improve computational efficiency in compact binary systems.

The project is closely associated with the NRPy+ framework, an open-source symbolic code generation system that converts tensorial expressions into optimized C code using the SymPy computer algebra system[3].

NRPy+ is designed to support numerical relativity research by automating derivation and optimization of evolution equations for Einstein’s equations.

Software and Infrastructure

If implemented, BlackHoles@Home would operate on the BOINC platform, allowing volunteer computers to contribute computational resources to large-scale simulations.

BOINC has been widely used in scientific distributed computing projects such as SETI@home and Einstein@Home.

Project Status

As of its last public description, BlackHoles@Home remains a planned project and has not yet been launched as an active BOINC project. Development efforts have focused primarily on the underlying numerical relativity software stack rather than a production volunteer computing deployment.

Team and Funding

The project is associated with Prof. Z. Etienne and the Etienne Research Group. Funding sources have included NSF grant PHY-1806596, NSF EPSCoR Grant 1458952, and NASA grants 80NSSC18K0538 and 80NSSC18K1488.

Related Work

External links

References

  1. ↑ SymPy Computer Algebra System.
  2. ↑ LIGO Scientific Collaboration – GW150914 discovery papers.
  3. ↑ NRPy+ Numerical Relativity Code Generation Framework.
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