Black Hole Physics and Computer Graphics

Black holes are among the most extreme objects known to exist in nature. As such, they are excellent laboratories for testing fundamental theories and studying matter in conditions that cannot be found anywhere else in the Universe. In this article, we highlight the relevance of black holes in modern physical and astronomical research and present one of the possible paths to explain observations and probe physics with the aid of numerical simulations. We briefly review dynamical-spacetime general-relativistic magneto-hydrodynamic (GRMHD) calculations as fundamental tools to study the local properties of black holes and matter around them. Then, we discuss the need for general-relativistic radiation transport to propagate the local information about light obtained with GRMHD simulations to our telescopes. Finally, we present accretion onto binary black holes as a key area of study for testing general relativity and plasma physics. The goal of our article is to introduce the reader to some of the methods in current black hole research and to point out how improvements in hardware and software for computer graphics support advancements in the field.