Accuracy and precision of gravitational-wave models of inspiraling neutron star -- black hole binaries with spin: comparison with numerical relativity in the low-frequency regime

Abstract

Coalescing binaries of neutron stars (NS) and black holes (BH) are one of the most important sources of gravitational waves for the upcoming network of ground based detectors. Detection and extraction of astrophysical information from gravitational-wave signals requires accurate waveform models. The Effective-One-Body and other phenomenological models interpolate between analytic results and $10-30$ orbit numerical relativity (NR) merger simulations. In this paper we study the accuracy of these models using new NR simulations that span $36-88$ orbits, with mass-ratios and black hole spins $(q,{\chi }_{BH})=(7,\pm 0.4),(7,\pm 0.6)$, and $(5,-0.9)$. We find that: (i) the recently published SEOBNRv1 and SEOBNRv2 models of the Effective-One-Body family disagree with each other (mismatches of a few percent) for black hole spins $\ge 0.5$ or $\le -0.3$, with waveform mismatch accumulating during early inspiral; (ii) comparison with numerical waveforms indicate that this disagreement is due to phasing errors of SEOBNRv1, with SEOBNRv2 in good agreement with all of our simulations; (iii) Phenomenological waveforms disagree with SEOBNRv2 over most of the NSBH binary parameter space; (iv) comparison with NR waveforms shows that most of the model's dephasing accumulates near the frequency interval where it switches to a phenomenological phasing prescription; and finally (v) both SEOBNR and post-Newtonian (PN) models are effectual for NSBH systems, but PN waveforms will give a significant bias in parameter recovery. Our results suggest that future gravitational-wave detection searches and parameter estimation efforts targeted at NSBH systems with $q\lesssim 7$ and ${\chi }_{\mathrm{BH}}\approx [-0.9,+0.6]$ will benefit from using SEOBNRv2 templates. For larger black hole spins and/or binary mass-ratios, we recommend the models be further investigated as suitable NR simulations become available.

20 pages, 18 figures

References in corpus (21)

• Advanced LIGO
• The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems
• Calibration of Moving Puncture Simulations
• Model Waveform Accuracy Standards for Gravitational Wave Data Analysis
• Effective-one-body waveforms calibrated to numerical relativity simulations: coalescence of non-spinning, equal-mass black holes
• Implementing a search for aligned-spin neutron star -- black hole systems with advanced ground based gravitational wave detectors
• Effective one body approach to the dynamics of two spinning black holes with next-to-leading order spin-orbit coupling
• Binary-black-hole initial data with nearly-extremal spins
• Black hole-neutron star mergers at realistic mass ratios: Equation of state and spin orientation effects
• Neutron star-black hole mergers with a nuclear equation of state and neutrino cooling: Dependence in the binary parameters
• Next-to-next-to-leading order spin-orbit effects in the near-zone metric and precession equations of compact binaries
• Faithful Effective-One-Body waveforms of equal-mass coalescing black-hole binaries
• Search for Gravitational Waves from Low Mass Binary Coalescences in the First Year of LIGO's S5 Data
• Reducing eccentricity in black-hole binary evolutions with initial parameters from post-Newtonian inspiral
• Numerical relativity reaching into post-Newtonian territory: a compact-object binary simulation spanning 350 gravitational-wave cycles
• Key Elements of Robustness in Binary Black Hole Evolutions using Spectral Methods
• Search of S3 LIGO data for gravitational wave signals from spinning black hole and neutron star binary inspirals
• Distinguishing types of compact-object binaries using the gravitational-wave signatures of their mergers
• Prospects for joint gravitational-wave and electromagnetic observations of neutron-star--black-hole coalescing binaries
• Template banks to search for compact binaries with spinning components in gravitational wave data
• Testing general relativity with compact coalescing binaries: comparing exact and predictive methods to compute the Bayes factor

Cited by in corpus (51)

• Frequency-domain gravitational waves from non-precessing black-hole binaries. II. A phenomenological model for the advanced detector era
• Frequency-domain gravitational waves from non-precessing black-hole binaries. I. New numerical waveforms and anatomy of the signal
• The PyCBC search for gravitational waves from compact binary coalescence
• An improved effective-one-body model of spinning, nonprecessing binary black holes for the era of gravitational-wave astrophysics with advanced detectors
• The SXS Collaboration catalog of binary black hole simulations
• The Effective Field Theorist's Approach to Gravitational Dynamics
• Time-domain effective-one-body gravitational waveforms for coalescing compact binaries with nonprecessing spins, tides and self-spin effects
• Surrogate model of hybridized numerical relativity binary black hole waveforms
• Enriching the Symphony of Gravitational Waves from Binary Black Holes by Tuning Higher Harmonics
• Validating the effective-one-body model of spinning, precessing binary black holes against numerical relativity
• Observing gravitational-wave transient GW150914 with minimal assumptions
• Frequency domain reduced order model of aligned-spin effective-one-body waveforms with generic mass-ratios and spins
• A faithful analytical effective one body waveform model for spin-aligned, moderately eccentric, coalescing black hole binaries
• An improved analysis of GW150914 using a fully spin-precessing waveform model
• Laying the foundation of the effective-one-body waveform models SEOBNRv5: improved accuracy and efficiency for spinning non-precessing binary black holes
• A Surrogate Model of Gravitational Waveforms from Numerical Relativity Simulations of Precessing Binary Black Hole Mergers
• Directly comparing GW150914 with numerical solutions of Einstein's equations for binary black hole coalescence
• Searching for Gravitational Waves from Compact Binaries with Precessing Spins
• A multipolar effective one body waveform model for spin-aligned black hole binaries
• Effective one body multipolar waveform model for spin-aligned, quasi-circular, eccentric, hyperbolic black hole binaries
• High-accuracy mass, spin, and recoil predictions of generic black-hole merger remnants
• Effects of waveform model systematics on the interpretation of GW150914
• All-sky search for short gravitational-wave bursts in the first Advanced LIGO run
• A Parameter Estimation Method that Directly Compares Gravitational Wave Observations to Numerical Relativity
• Modeling the source of GW150914 with targeted numerical-relativity simulations
• Improved Cauchy-characteristic evolution system for high-precision numerical relativity waveforms
• Accurate waveforms for eccentric, aligned-spin binary black holes: The multipolar effective-one-body model SEOBNRv5EHM
• Accuracy of binary black hole waveform models for aligned-spin binaries
• Constraining the parameters of GW150914 & GW170104 with numerical relativity surrogates
• Measuring neutron star tidal deformability with Advanced LIGO: a Bayesian analysis of neutron star - black hole binary observations
• Blind spots and biases: the dangers of ignoring eccentricity in gravitational-wave signals from binary black holes
• Unveiling the merger structure of black hole binaries in generic planar orbits
• Comparison of post-Newtonian mode amplitudes with numerical relativity simulations of binary black holes
• Improved post-Newtonian waveform model for inspiralling precessing-eccentric compact binaries
• Compact binary coalescences: Constraints on waveforms
• Assessing the Energetics of Spinning Binary Black Hole Systems
• ESIGMAHM: An Eccentric, Spinning inspiral-merger-ringdown waveform model with Higher Modes for the detection and characterization of binary black holes
• Inspiral of a Spinning Black Hole--Magnetized Neutron Star Binary: Increasing Charge and Electromagnetic Emission
• Numerical-relativity validation of effective-one-body waveforms in the intermediate-mass-ratio regime
• Systematic challenges for future gravitational wave measurements of precessing binary black holes
• Scattering and dynamical capture of two black holes: synergies between numerical and analytical methods
• Assessing and marginalizing over compact binary coalescence waveform systematics with RIFT
• Predicting the properties of black holes merger remnants with Deep Neural Networks
• Real modes and null memory contributions in effective-one-body models
• Peaking into the abyss: Characterizing the merger of equatorial-eccentric-geodesic plunges in rotating black holes
• Comparison and application of different post-Newtonian models for inspiralling stellar-mass binary black holes with space-based GW detectors
• Modified Gravitation Theory (MOG) and the aLIGO GW190521 Gravitational Wave Event
• Investigating the Impact of Higher-Order Phase Transitions in Binary Neutron-Star Mergers
• Advancing the Effective-One-Body Framework in the Test-Mass Limit
• Estimating effective higher order terms in the post-Newtonian binding energy and gravitational-wave flux: Non-spinning compact binary inspiral
• Gravitational Lensing of Gravitational Waves from Astrophysical Sources: Theory, Detection, and Applications