## [1206.2943] Do waveforms from binary black hole simulations depend on current choices of initial data?

Authors: Bryant Garcia, Geoffrey Lovelace, Lawrence E. Kidder, Michael Boyle, Saul A. Teukolsky, Mark A. Scheel, Bela Szilagyi

Date: 13 Jun 2012

Abstract: Initial data for numerical evolutions of binary-black holes have been dominated by conformally flat (CF) data because it is easy to construct. However, CF initial data cannot simulate nearly extremal spins while more complicated conformally curved initial data which is the superposition of two Kerr-Schild (SKS) black holes can. Here we establish the consistency between these two initial data schemes. We evolve the inspiral, merger, and ringdown of two equal-mass, nonspinning black holes using SKS initial data and compare with an analogous simulation using CF initial data. We find that the resultant gravitational-waveform phases agree to within $\delta \phi \laq 10ˆ{-2}$ radians and the amplitudes agree to within $\delta A/A \laq 5 \times 10ˆ{-3}$, which are within the numerical errors of the simulations. Furthermore, we find that the final mass and spin of the remnant black hole agree to one part in $10ˆ{-5}$.

#### Jun 20, 2012

1206.2943 (/preprints)
2012-06-20, 12:18