Parametrized spin-precessing inspiral-merger-ringdown waveform model for tests of general relativity

Abstract

The coalescence of binary black holes (BBHs) provides a unique arena to test general relativity (GR) in the dynamical, strong-field regime. To this end, we present pSEOBNRv5PHM, a parametrized, multipolar, spin-precessing waveform model for BBHs in quasicircular orbits, built within the effective-one-body formalism. Compared to its predecessor, pSEOBNRv4HM, our model introduces parametrized deviations from GR not only in the plunge-merger-ringdown stages, but also in the inspiral phase through modifications to the conservative dynamics. Additionally, it incorporates, for the first time, spin-precession effects. The free deviation parameters can be used to perform null tests of GR using current and future gravitational-wave observations. We validate pSEOBNRv5PHM through Bayesian parameter estimation, focusing on the quasinormal-mode frequency and damping time of the $(\ell ,m,n)=(2,2,0)$ mode. Our analysis of synthetic signals from numerical-relativity (NR) simulations of highly precessing BH mergers shows that, while pSEOBNRv5PHM correctly recovers consistency with GR, neglecting spin precession can lead to false detections of deviations from GR even at current detector sensitivity. Conversely, when analyzing a synthetic signal from a NR simulation of a binary boson-star merger, the model successfully identifies a deviation from a GR BBH signal. Finally, we reanalyze 12 events from the third Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog. Using a hierarchical combination of these events, we constrain fractional deviations in the frequency and damping time of the $(2,2,0)$ quasinormal-mode to $\delta f_{220}=0.00_{-0.06}^{+0.06}$ and $\delta {\tau }_{220}=0.15_{-0.24}^{+0.26}$ at 90% credibility. These results are consistent with those from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration, which did not account for spin-precession effects.

25 pages, 10 figures. v2: matches version published in Phys. Rev. D

References in corpus (24)

• Advanced Virgo: a 2nd generation interferometric gravitational wave detector
• Advanced LIGO
• Robust parameter estimation for compact binaries with ground-based gravitational-wave observations using the LALInference software library
• An improved effective-one-body model of spinning, nonprecessing binary black holes for the era of gravitational-wave astrophysics with advanced detectors
• Inspiral, merger and ring-down of equal-mass black-hole binaries
• Towards models of gravitational waveforms from generic binaries II: Modelling precession effects with a single effective precession parameter
• Multipolar Effective-One-Body Waveforms for Precessing Binary Black Holes: Construction and Validation
• Analysis of spin precession in binary black hole systems including quadrupole-monopole interaction
• Faithful Effective-One-Body waveforms of small-mass-ratio coalescing black-hole binaries
• Validating the effective-one-body model of spinning, precessing binary black holes against numerical relativity
• Towards models of gravitational waveforms from generic binaries: A simple approximate mapping between precessing and non-precessing inspiral signals
• Hierarchical data-driven approach to fitting numerical relativity data for nonprecessing binary black holes with an application to final spin and radiated energy
• Observational Black Hole Spectroscopy: A time-domain multimode analysis of GW150914
• Comparing Effective-One-Body gravitational waveforms to accurate numerical data
• Probing the non-linear structure of general relativity with black hole binaries
• Testing the no-hair theorem with black hole ringdowns using TIGER
• Mixing of spherical and spheroidal modes in perturbed Kerr black holes
• GRChombo: An adaptable numerical relativity code for fundamental physics
• Spectroscopy of binary black hole ringdown using overtones and angular modes
• A new analytic representation of the ringdown waveform of coalescing spinning black hole binaries
• Parametrized ringdown spin expansion coefficients: a data-analysis framework for black-hole spectroscopy with multiple events
• On combining information from multiple gravitational wave sources
• Precession during merger 1: Strong polarization changes are observationally accessible features of strong-field gravity during binary black hole merger
• Ringdown frequencies in black holes formed from precessing black-hole binaries