Towards numerical-relativity informed effective-one-body waveforms for dynamical capture black hole binaries

Year: 2023

Type: preprint

Abstract: Dynamical captures of black holes may take place in dense stellar media due to the emission of gravitational radiation during a close passage. Detection of such events requires detailed modelling, since their phenomenology qualitatively differs from that of quasi-circular binaries. Very few models can deliver such waveforms, and none includes information from Numerical Relativity (NR) simulations of non quasi-circular coalescences. In this study we present a first step towards a fully NR-informed Effective One Body (EOB) model of dynamical captures. We perform 14 new simulations of single and double encounter mergers, and use this data to inform the merger-ringdown model of the TEOBResumS-Dali approximant. We keep the initial energy approximately fixed to the binary mass, and vary the mass-rescaled, dimensionless angular momentum in the range $(0.6, 1.1)$, the mass ratio in $(1, 2.15)$ and aligned dimensionless spins in $(-0.5, 0.5)$. We find that the model is able to match NR to $97%$, improving previous performances, without the need of modifying the base-line template. Upon NR informing the model, this improves to $99%$ with the exception of one outlier corresponding to a direct plunge. The maximum EOBNR phase difference at merger for the uninformed model is of $0.15$ radians, which is reduced to $0.1$ radians after the NR information is introduced. We outline the steps towards a fully informed EOB model of dynamical captures, and discuss future improvements.

Source: arXiv (Cornell University)

DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2307.08697

Authors: Andrade, Tomas, Trenado, Juan, Albanesi, Simone, Gamba, Rossella, Bernuzzi, Sebastiano, Nagar, Alessandro, Calderon-Bustillo, Juan, Sanchis-Gual, Nicolas, Font, Jose A., Cook, William, Daszuta, Boris, Zappa, Francesco, Radice, David

Institutions: Institut de Ciències del Cosmos, Universitat de Barcelona, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino, University of Turin, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, Universitat de València

Language: English

Topic: Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Generalitat Valenciana, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Fundación Bancaria Caixa d'Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, H2020 European Research Council

OpenAlex ID: W4384648642