Abstract
We consider the evolution of the orbit of a spinning compact object in a quasicircular, planar orbit around a Schwarzschild black hole in the extreme mass ratio limit. We compare the contributions to the orbital evolution of both spin-orbit coupling and the local self-force. Making assumptions about the behavior of the forces, we suggest that the decay of the orbit is dominated by the radiation reaction, and that the conservative effect is typically dominated by the spin force. We propose that a reasonable approximation for the gravitational waveform can be obtained by ignoring the local self-force, for adjusted values of the parameters of the system. We argue that this approximation will only introduce small errors in the astronomical determination of these parameters.
- Received 31 July 2003
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.69.044011
©2004 American Physical Society