Gravitational waves from inspiralling compact binaries: Parameter estimation using second-post-Newtonian waveforms

Abstract

The parameters of inspiralling compact binaries can be estimated using matched filtering of gravitational-waveform templates against the output of laser-interferometric gravitational-wave detectors. Using a recently calculated formula, accurate to second post-Newtonian (2PN) order [order $(v/c{)}^4$, where $v$ is the orbital velocity], for the frequency sweep ($dF/dt$) induced by gravitational radiation damping, we study the statistical errors in the determination of such source parameters as the ``chirp mass'' $\mathcal{M}$, reduced mass $\hat{I}¼$, and spin parameters ${\hat{I}}^2$ and $\ddot{I}ƒ$ (related to spin-orbit and spin-spin effects, respectively). We find that previous results using template phasing accurate to 1.5PN order actually underestimated the errors in $\mathcal{M}$, $\hat{I}¼$, and ${\hat{I}}^2$. For two inspiralling neutron stars, the measurement errors increase by less than 16 percent.

14 pages, ReVTeX