Astrophysical significance of detection of coalescing binaries with gravitational waves

Abstract

We use the StarTrack stellar population synthesis code to analyze properties of double compact object binaries as sources of gravitational waves. Since the distribution of lifetimes of these objects extends up to the Hubble time we conclude that a proper calculation of the expected rate must include a full cosmological model. We present such model, calculate the expected coalescence rates, and analyze the intrinsic sensitivity of these rates to the model assumptions. We find that the rate alone is a very poor estimator of the underlying stellar evolution model. However we show that the distribution of observed chirp masses is very sensitive to the underlying stellar evolution model, while it is very insensitive to the underlying cosmology, star formation rate history and variation of detector sensitivity.

8 pages, submitted to Astronomy and Astrophysics

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• The Total Merger Rate of Compact Object Binaries In The Local Universe
• Accuracy of inference on the physics of binary evolution from gravitational-wave observations
• Binary Black Hole Mergers from Globular Clusters: the Impact of Globular Cluster Properties
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• Gravitational-wave confusion background from cosmological compact binaries: Implications for future terrestrial detectors
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• A Mock Data and Science Challenge for Detecting an Astrophysical Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo
• Initial Populations of Black Holes in Star Clusters
• Gravitational Waves from Extragalactic Inspiraling Binaries: Selection Effects and Expected Detection Rates
• pygwb: Python-based library for gravitational-wave background searches
• Expected masses of merging compact object binaries observed in gravitational waves
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• MOCCA-SURVEY Database -- I. Tidal disruption events of white dwarfs in globular clusters and young massive clusters
• Constraining parameters of coalescing stellar mass binary black hole systems with the Einstein Telescope alone
• Application of the Probability Event Horizon filter to constrain the local rate density of binary black hole inspirals with Advanced LIGO
• The Luminosity Distribution of Short Gamma-Ray Bursts under a Structured Jet Scenario
• Constraining parameters of low mass merging compact binary systems with Einstein Telescope alone
• Stochastic backgrounds of gravitational waves from cosmological sources - The role of dark energy