Towards models of gravitational waveforms from generic binaries: A simple approximate mapping between precessing and non-precessing inspiral signals

Jul, 2012
16 pages
Published in:
  • Phys.Rev.D 86 (2012) 104063
e-Print:

Citations per year

20122015201820212024051015202530
Abstract: (arXiv)
One of the greatest theoretical challenges in the build-up to the era of second-generation gravitational-wave detectors is the modeling of generic binary waveforms. We introduce an approximation that has the potential to significantly simplify this problem. We show that generic precessing-binary inspiral waveforms (covering a seven-dimensional space of intrinsic parameters) can be mapped to a two-dimensional space of non-precessing binaries, characterized by the mass ratio and a single effective total spin. The mapping consists of a time-dependent rotation of the waveforms into the quadrupole-aligned frame, and is extremely accurate (matches >0.99> 0.99 with parameter biases in the total spin of Δχ0.04\Delta \chi \leq 0.04), even in the case of transitional precession. In addition, we demonstrate a simple method to construct hybrid post-Newtonian--numerical-relativity precessing-binary waveforms in the quadrupole-aligned frame, and provide evidence that our approximate mapping can be used all the way to the merger. Finally, based on these results, we outline a general proposal for the construction of generic waveform models, which will be the focus of future work.
Note:
  • 16 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables; replaced to match published version; journal ref. added
  • binary
  • spin
  • gravitational radiation detector
  • gravitational radiation
  • 04.30.Db
  • 04.25.D-
  • 95.30.Sf
  • 04.20.Ex
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