Length requirements for numerical-relativity waveforms

Mark Hannam, Sascha Husa, Frank Ohme, and P. Ajith
Phys. Rev. D 82, 124052 – Published 22 December 2010

Abstract

One way to produce complete inspiral-merger-ringdown gravitational waveforms from black-hole-binary systems is to connect post-Newtonian (PN) and numerical-relativity (NR) results to create “hybrid” waveforms. Hybrid waveforms are central to the construction of some phenomenological models for gravitational-wave (GW) search templates, and for tests of GW search pipelines. The dominant error source in hybrid waveforms arises from the PN contribution, and can be reduced by increasing the number of NR GW cycles that are included in the hybrid. Hybrid waveforms are considered sufficiently accurate for GW detection if their mismatch error is below 3% (i.e., a fitting factor above 0.97). We address the question of the length requirements of NR waveforms such that the final hybrid waveforms meet this requirement, considering nonspinning binaries with q=M2/M1[1,4] and equal-mass binaries with χ=Si/Mi2[0.5,0.5]. We conclude that, for the cases we study, simulations must contain between three (in the equal-mass nonspinning case) and ten (the χ=0.5 case) orbits before merger, but there is also evidence that these are the regions of parameter space for which the least number of cycles will be needed.

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  • Received 16 September 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.82.124052

© 2010 The American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Mark Hannam1,2, Sascha Husa3, Frank Ohme4, and P. Ajith5,6

  • 1Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
  • 2School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 3AA, United Kingdom
  • 3Departament de Física, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Cra. Valldemossa Km. 7.5, Palma de Mallorca, E-07122 Spain
  • 4Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14475 Potsdam, Germany
  • 5LIGO Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
  • 6Theoretical Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA

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Issue

Vol. 82, Iss. 12 — 15 December 2010

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