BHPWAVE: An adiabatic gravitational waveform model for compact objects undergoing quasi-circular inspirals into rotating massive black holes

Abstract

We present {bhpwave}: a new Python-based, open-source tool for generating the gravitational waveforms of stellar-mass compact objects undergoing quasi-circular inspirals into rotating massive black holes. These binaries, known as extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs), are exciting mHz gravitational wave sources for future space-based detectors such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Relativistic models of EMRI gravitational wave signals are necessary to unlock the full scientific potential of mHz detectors, yet few open-source EMRI waveform models exist. Thus we built {bhpwave}, which uses the adiabatic approximation from black hole perturbation theory to rapidly construct gravitational waveforms based on the leading-order inspiral dynamics of the binary. In this work, we present the theoretical and numerical foundations underpinning {bhpwave}. We also demonstrate how {bhpwave} can be used to assess the impact of EMRI modeling errors on LISA gravitational wave data analysis. In particular, we find that for retrograde orbits and slowly-spinning black holes we can mismodel the gravitational wave phasing by as much as $\sim 10$ radians without significantly biasing EMRI parameter estimation.

24 pages, 17 figures, 2 tables

References in corpus (7)

• Two timescale analysis of extreme mass ratio inspirals in Kerr. I. Orbital Motion
• Gravitational wave snapshots of generic extreme mass ratio inspirals
• LISA detections of massive black hole inspirals: parameter extraction errors due to inaccurate template waveforms
• Forced motion near black holes
• Extreme mass ratio inspirals on the equatorial plane in the adiabatic order
• Adiabatic equatorial inspirals of a spinning body into a Kerr black hole
• Detecting extreme mass ratio inspiral events in LISA data using the Hierarchical Algorithm for Clusters and Ridges (HACR)

Cited by in corpus (9)

• Impact of relativistic waveforms in LISA's science objectives with extreme-mass-ratio inspirals
• Post-adiabatic waveform-generation framework for asymmetric precessing binaries
• Relativistic model of binary extreme-mass-ratio inspiral systems and their gravitational radiation
• Post-adiabatic self-force waveforms: slowly spinning primary and precessing secondary
• Systematic errors in fast relativistic waveforms for Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals
• Probing Kalb-Ramond field with extreme mass ratio inspirals
• A note on the conversion of orbital angles for extreme mass ratio inspirals
• Relieving scale disparity in binary black hole simulations
• Near-horizon gravitational perturbations of rotating black holes