Abstract
We quantify the consistency of numerical-relativity black-hole-binary waveforms for use in gravitational-wave (GW) searches with current and planned ground-based detectors. We compare previously published results for the mode of the gravitational waves from an equal-mass nonspinning binary, calculated by five numerical codes. We focus on the (about six orbits, or 12 GW cycles) before the peak of the GW amplitude and the subsequent ringdown. We find that the phase and amplitude agree within each code’s uncertainty estimates. The mismatch between the modes is better than for binary masses above with respect to the Enhanced LIGO detector noise curve, and for masses above with respect to Advanced LIGO, Virgo, and Advanced Virgo. Between the waveforms with the best agreement, the mismatch is below . We find that the waveforms would be indistinguishable in all ground-based detectors (and for the masses we consider) if detected with a signal-to-noise ratio of less than , or less than in the best cases.
2 More- Received 20 January 2009
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.79.084025
©2009 American Physical Society