Inconsistent black hole kick estimates from gravitational-wave models
arXiv:2207.13531 · doi:10.1088/1361-6382/acc5da
Abstract
The accuracy of gravitational-wave models of compact binaries has traditionally been addressed by the mismatch between the model and numerical-relativity simulations. This is a measure of the overall agreement between the two waveforms. However, the largest modelling error typically appears in the strong-field merger regime and may affect subdominant signal harmonics more strongly. These inaccuracies are often not well characterised by the mismatch. We explore the use of a complementary, physically motivated tool to investigate the accuracy of gravitational-wave harmonics in waveform models: the remnant's recoil, or kick velocity. Asymmetric binary mergers produce remnants with significant recoil, encoded by subtle imprints in the gravitational-wave signal. The kick estimate is highly sensitive to the intrinsic inaccuracies of the modelled gravitational-wave harmonics during the strongly relativistic merger regime. Here we investigate the accuracy of the higher harmonics in four state-of-the-art waveform models of binary black holes. We find that the SEOBNRv4HM_ROM, IMRPhenomHM, IMRPhenomXHM and NRHybSur3dq8 models are not consistent in their kick predictions. Our results enable us to identify regions in the parameter space where the models require further improvement and support the use of the kick estimate to investigate waveform systematics. We discuss how numerical-relativity kick estimates could be used to calibrate waveform models further, proposing the first steps towards kick-based gravitational-wave tuning.
arXiv comment31 pages, 17 figures
References in corpus (60)
- Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger
- Advanced Virgo: a 2nd generation interferometric gravitational wave detector
- GWTC-1: A Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog of Compact Binary Mergers Observed by LIGO and Virgo during the First and Second Observing Runs
- Advanced LIGO
- GWTC-2: Compact Binary Coalescences Observed by LIGO and Virgo During the First Half of the Third Observing Run
- Quasi-Normal Modes of Stars and Black Holes
- GW190814: Gravitational Waves from the Coalescence of a 23 M Black Hole with a 2.6 M Compact Object
- Characterization of the LIGO detectors during their sixth science run
- Bilby: A user-friendly Bayesian inference library for gravitational-wave astronomy
- Frequency-domain gravitational waves from non-precessing black-hole binaries. II. A phenomenological model for the advanced detector era
- Robust parameter estimation for compact binaries with ground-based gravitational-wave observations using the LALInference software library
- Frequency-domain gravitational waves from non-precessing black-hole binaries. I. New numerical waveforms and anatomy of the signal
- Coalescing binary systems of compact objects to (post)$^{5/2}-Newtonian order. V. Spin Effects
- A simple model of complete precessing black-hole-binary gravitational waveforms
- GW190412: Observation of a Binary-Black-Hole Coalescence with Asymmetric Masses
- Inspiral-merger-ringdown waveforms for black-hole binaries with non-precessing spins
- An improved effective-one-body model of spinning, nonprecessing binary black holes for the era of gravitational-wave astrophysics with advanced detectors
- Computationally efficient models for the dominant and sub-dominant harmonic modes of precessing binary black holes
- Matching post-Newtonian and numerical relativity waveforms: systematic errors and a new phenomenological model for non-precessing black hole binaries
- Maximum gravitational recoil
- Total recoil: the maximum kick from nonspinning black-hole binary inspiral
- The SXS Collaboration catalog of binary black hole simulations
- Model Waveform Accuracy Standards for Gravitational Wave Data Analysis
- Multipolar Effective-One-Body Waveforms for Precessing Binary Black Holes: Construction and Validation
- IMRPhenomXHM: A multi-mode frequency-domain model for the gravitational wave signal from non-precessing black-hole binaries
- Time-domain effective-one-body gravitational waveforms for coalescing compact binaries with nonprecessing spins, tides and self-spin effects
- Setting the cornerstone for the IMRPhenomX family of models for gravitational waves from compact binaries: The dominant harmonic for non-precessing quasi-circular black holes
- Surrogate model of hybridized numerical relativity binary black hole waveforms
- Enriching the Symphony of Gravitational Waves from Binary Black Holes by Tuning Higher Harmonics
- First higher-multipole model of gravitational waves from spinning and coalescing black-hole binaries
- Recoil velocities from equal-mass binary black-hole mergers: a systematic investigation of spin-orbit aligned configurations
- Phenomenological model for the gravitational-wave signal from precessing binary black holes with two-spin effects
- A Numerical Relativity Waveform Surrogate Model for Generically Precessing Binary Black Hole Mergers
- Exploring black hole superkicks
- A Surrogate Model of Gravitational Waveforms from Numerical Relativity Simulations of Precessing Binary Black Hole Mergers
- A multipolar effective one body waveform model for spin-aligned black hole binaries
- High-accuracy mass, spin, and recoil predictions of generic black-hole merger remnants
- Gravitational Recoil of Inspiralling Black-Hole Binaries to Second Post-Newtonian Order
- Effects of waveform model systematics on the interpretation of GW150914
- Frequency domain reduced order model of aligned-spin effective-one-body waveforms with higher-order modes
- Recoiling black holes: electromagnetic signatures, candidates, and astrophysical implications
- Gravitational-wave observations of binary black holes: Effect of non-quadrupole modes
- On the properties of the massive binary black hole merger GW170729
- IMRPhenomTP: A phenomenological time domain model for dominant quadrupole gravitational wave signal of coalescing binary black holes
- The final twist: A model of gravitational waves from precessing black-hole binaries through merger and ringdown
- Adding Gravitational Memory to Waveform Catalogs using BMS Balance Laws
- Rush the inspiral: efficient Effective One Body time-domain gravitational waveforms
- Effects of nonquadrupole modes in the detection and parameter estimation of black hole binaries with nonprecessing spins
- Extracting the Gravitational Recoil from Black Hole Merger Signals
- Parameter Estimation with a spinning multi-mode waveform model: IMRPhenomHM
- Tracking black hole kicks from gravitational wave observations
- Remnant Black Hole Kicks and Implications for Hierarchical Mergers
- Impact of subdominant modes on the interpretation of gravitational-wave signals from heavy binary black hole systems
- Accuracy of binary black hole waveform models for aligned-spin binaries
- Accelerating the evaluation of inspiral-merger-ringdown waveforms with adapted grids
- Kicking gravitational wave detectors with recoiling black holes
- Compact binary coalescences: Constraints on waveforms
- Inferring the gravitational wave memory for binary coalescence events
- Interplay of spin-precession and higher harmonics in the parameter estimation of binary black holes
- Testing gravitational waveform models using angular momentum
Cited by in corpus (8)
- Flexible mapping of ringdown amplitudes for nonprecessing binary black holes
- Adding equatorial-asymmetric effects for spin-precessing binaries into the SEOBNRv5PHM waveform model
- Ringdown mode amplitudes of precessing binary black holes
- Observability of spin precession in the presence of a black-hole remnant kick
- A complete measurement of a black-hole recoil through higher-order gravitational-wave modes
- Signatures of Quantum Gravity in Gravitational Wave Memory
- Uncovering subdominant multipole asymmetries in binary black-hole mergers
- Black-hole ringdown with templates capturing spin precession: A reanalysis of GW190521