Olly Long
@hyperbolly.bsky.social
Gravitational physicist working at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) in Potsdam, Germany. https://www.oliverlong.info/
Two of my papers have been published in Physical Review D! See this visualisation of SXS:BBH:4292 that I made to celebrate! 🎉
SXS Collaboration@sxs-collaboration.bsky.social · 9mo agoTwo of our papers on black-hole scattering have been published in Physical Review D! 🎉 To celebrate, here is a visualisation of the gravitational wave emission from a close scattering encounter: youtu.be/u9wBZEYfyAM Paper 1: doi.org/10.1103/p6fx... Paper 2: doi.org/10.1103/bdsb...
How much information can we gain by pushing numerical relativity to its limit by simulating black hole scattering encounters? My latest paper (below) explores these extreme regions of the black-hole scattering parameter space using simulations generated using the Spectral Einstein Code (SpEC).
Black-hole scattering with numerical relativity: Self-force extraction and post-Minkowskian validation
The asymptotic nature of unbound binary-black-hole encounters provides a clean method for comparing different approaches for modeling the two-body problem in general relativity. In this work, we use n...
arxiv.org
🎉 Happy paper publication day! 🎉 Our third catalog of binary black hole simulations, now published in Classical and Quantum Gravity. And it's open access! Scheel et al. 2025 Class. Quantum Grav. 42 195017 iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1... Also on the @arxiv.bsky.social at arxiv.org/abs/2505.13378
The SXS Collaboration's third catalog of binary black hole simulations
We present a major update to the Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes (SXS) Collaboration's catalog of binary black hole simulations. Using highly efficient spectral methods implemented in the Spectral Einst...
arxiv.org
SXS Collaboration@sxs-collaboration.bsky.social · last yr.We are excited to release a major update to our catalog of binary black hole simulations, available at arxiv.org/abs/2505.13378! Such simulations are key to LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA being able to extract science from their gravitational wave detections. 1/13 🧪⚛️🔭
What happens when high-velocity black holes hurtle past each other in a close encounter, deflecting through spacetime but never merging? My latest paper (below) presents the first simulations of black hole scattering generated using the Spectral Einstein Code (SpEC). (1/6)
Highly accurate simulations of asymmetric black-hole scattering and cross validation of effective-one-body models
The study of unbound binary-black-hole encounters provides a gauge-invariant approach to exploring strong-field gravitational interactions in two-body systems, which can subsequently inform waveform m...
arxiv.org
Bonus: here's an animation I generated showing how the sausage was made. Each frame is one commit from the paper repo.
I’m incredibly proud to be part of this and to have my simulations turn into the first publicly available scattering and dynamical capture waveforms! Below is a plot I made for the Einstein Toolkit Blue Book (arXiv:2503.12263) showing the waveforms SXS:BBH:3999 (scatter) and SXS:BBH:4000 (capture).
SXS Collaboration@sxs-collaboration.bsky.social · last yr.We are excited to release a major update to our catalog of binary black hole simulations, available at arxiv.org/abs/2505.13378! Such simulations are key to LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA being able to extract science from their gravitational wave detections. 1/13 🧪⚛️🔭
Happy #BlackHoleWeek! To celebrate, we’re releasing the highest-resolution ray-traced still from one of our simulations to date. This skeet has a low res preview. To zoom into the full 43,200 × 21,600 pixel rendering, head to www.black-holes.org/2025/05/07/B... 🧪⚛️🔭
When your work Secret Santa gift link to your research
Olly Long@hyperbolly.bsky.social · 2y agoSometimes you have to go back to the basics
For more info about my research, publications, or talks, visit my website: oliverlong.info. I’m also always happy to connect or chat!
Olly Long@hyperbolly.bsky.social · 2y ago(6/7) Outside of physics, I’m an avid climber with over 300 outdoor climbs across four countries (trad, sport, and bouldering). Here are my stats if you’re curious:
(6/7) Outside of physics, I’m an avid climber with over 300 outdoor climbs across four countries (trad, sport, and bouldering). Here are my stats if you’re curious:
UKC Logbook - Stats for ofl_23
ukclimbing.com
Olly Long@hyperbolly.bsky.social · 2y ago(5/7) I’m part of the effort to get the space-based Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) off the ground as an active LISA Consortium member. I’m also a former member of the LIGO collaboration. Image courtesy of European Space Agency (ESA).
(5/7) I’m part of the effort to get the space-based Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) off the ground as an active LISA Consortium member. I’m also a former member of the LIGO collaboration. Image courtesy of European Space Agency (ESA).
Olly Long@hyperbolly.bsky.social · 2y ago(4/7) Through my work on self-force, I became a contributor to the KerrGeodesics package of the Black Hole Perturbation Toolkit (BHPT). I am also a contributor to the Spectral Einstein Code (SpEC) of the SXS collaboration.
(4/7) Through my work on self-force, I became a contributor to the KerrGeodesics package of the Black Hole Perturbation Toolkit (BHPT). I am also a contributor to the Spectral Einstein Code (SpEC) of the SXS collaboration.
Olly Long@hyperbolly.bsky.social · 2y ago(3/7) In 2022, I started my postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (AEI) in Potsdam, Germany. Here, I extended my work to include black hole scattering with comparable masses using Numerical Relativity as part of the @sxs-collaboration.bsky.social.
(3/7) In 2022, I started my postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (AEI) in Potsdam, Germany. Here, I extended my work to include black hole scattering with comparable masses using Numerical Relativity as part of the @sxs-collaboration.bsky.social.
Olly Long@hyperbolly.bsky.social · 2y ago(2/7) I earned my MPhys in Physics from the University of Manchester (2018) and a PhD in Mathematical Sciences from the University of Southampton (2022). My PhD focused on using black hole perturbation theory to model small black holes scattering off supermassive black holes.
(2/7) I earned my MPhys in Physics from the University of Manchester (2018) and a PhD in Mathematical Sciences from the University of Southampton (2022). My PhD focused on using black hole perturbation theory to model small black holes scattering off supermassive black holes.
Olly Long@hyperbolly.bsky.social · 2y ago(1/7) As I’m new here I thought I should introduce myself! My name is Olly Long and I am a researcher working on modelling the binary black hole problem in General Relativity.
(1/7) As I’m new here I thought I should introduce myself! My name is Olly Long and I am a researcher working on modelling the binary black hole problem in General Relativity.
Here is a visualisation of one of my Numerical Relativity simulations with @sxs-collaboration.bsky.social’s Spectral Einstein Code (SpEC). The initially unbound system loses enough energy at closest approach to become bound leading to a merger. It’s one of the coolest looking simulations I’ve done!
SXS Collaboration@sxs-collaboration.bsky.social · 2y agoHello, new followers! This account will mostly post about new science from members of the SXS collaboration. Sometimes we make neat visualizations, too! Check out our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4Lw... 🧪⚛️🔭