We show that a reformulation of the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner equations in general relativity, which has dramatically improved the stability properties of numerical implementations, has a direct analogue in classical electrodynamics. We numerically integrate both the original and the revised versions of Maxwell’s equations, and show that their distinct numerical behavior reflects the properties found in linearized general relativity. Our results shed further light on the stability properties of general relativity, illustrate them in a very transparent context, and may provide a useful framework for further improvement of numerical schemes.

• Received 6 December 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.65.064031