[1207.3088] Towards models of gravitational waveforms from generic binaries: A simple approximate mapping between precessing and non-precessing inspiral signals

Authors: Patricia Schmidt, Mark Hannam, Sascha Husa

Date: 12 Jul 2012

Abstract: 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 parameter space) can be mapped to only 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 $> 0.99$ with parameter biases in the total spin of $\Delta \chi \leq 0.04$), 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.

Jul 16, 2012

1207.3088 (/preprints)
2012-07-16, 00:34 

Login:   Password:   [rss] [cc] [w3] [css]

© M. Vallisneri 2012 — last modified on 2010/01/29

Tantum in modicis, quantum in maximis