Self-force framework for transition-to-plunge waveforms
Lorenzo Küchler, Geoffrey Compère, Leanne Durkan, Adam Pound
SciPost Phys. 17, 056 (2024) · published 16 August 2024
- doi: 10.21468/SciPostPhys.17.2.056
- Submissions/Reports
Abstract
Compact binaries with asymmetric mass ratios are key expected sources for next-generation gravitational wave detectors. Gravitational self-force theory has been successful in producing post-adiabatic waveforms that describe the quasi-circular inspiral around a non-spinning black hole with sub-radian accuracy, in remarkable agreement with numerical relativity simulations. Current inspiral models, however, break down at the innermost stable circular orbit, missing part of the waveform as the secondary body transitions to a plunge into the black hole. In this work we derive the transition-to-plunge expansion within a multiscale framework and asymptotically match its early-time behaviour with the late inspiral. Our multiscale formulation facilitates rapid generation of waveforms: we build second post-leading transition-to-plunge waveforms, named 2PLT waveforms. Although our numerical results are limited to low perturbative orders, our framework contains the analytic tools for building higher-order waveforms consistent with post-adiabatic inspirals, once all the necessary numerical self-force data becomes available. We validate our framework by comparing against numerical relativity simulations, surrogate models and the effective one-body approach.
Supplementary Information
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Authors / Affiliations: mappings to Contributors and Organizations
See all Organizations.- 1 2 Lorenzo Küchler,
- 2 Geoffrey Compère,
- 3 Leanne Durkan,
- 1 Adam Pound
- 1 University of Southampton
- 2 Université Libre de Bruxelles [ULB]
- 3 The University of Texas at Austin [UT Austin]
- European Space Agency
- Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS (FNRS) (through Organization: Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique [FNRS])
- Horizon 2020 (through Organization: European Commission [EC])
- Royal Society