Eccentricity estimate for black hole mergers with numerical relativity simulations
Eccentricity estimate for black hole mergers with numerical relativity simulations
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DOI：
10.1038/s41550-021-01568-w
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发表时间：
2022-01
期刊：
影响因子：
14.1
通讯作者：
V. Gayathri;J. Healy;J. Lange;B. O'Brien;M. Szczepańczyk;I. Bartos;M. Campanelli;S. Klimenko;C. Lousto;R. O’Shaughnessy
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文献类型：
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作者：
V. Gayathri;J. Healy;J. Lange;B. O'Brien;M. Szczepańczyk;I. Bartos;M. Campanelli;S. Klimenko;C. Lousto;R. O’Shaughnessy
LIGO 和 Virgo 引力波天文台发现的黑洞合并的起源目前尚不清楚。 GW190521，是迄今为止探测到的最重的黑洞合并。它观测到的高质量和可能的自旋引起的轨道进动可能是由于该双星在近距离接触后形成的。近距离接触的观测特征是偏心双星轨道，-；然而，由于缺乏合适的重力波形，目前这一特征很难识别。此前尚未发现任何异常合并。在这里，我们报告了 611 个数值相对论模拟，涵盖了整个偏心率范围，以及一种探测合并偏心率的估计方法。我们的一组模拟对应约 105 个波形，与引力波搜索中使用的数量相当，尽管质量比和自旋分辨率较粗。我们将我们的方法应用于 GW190521，发现它与我们的波形集中的高度偏心（90% 可信水平）合并最为一致。如果 GW190521 类合并中 ≳10% 是高度偏心的，则这种解释在优势比大于 10 的非偏心合并中得到支持。可检测到的轨道偏心率将成为反对孤立双星起源的证据，否则很难根据观测到的质量和自旋来排除这种可能性。
The origin of black hole mergers discovered by the LIGO and Virgo gravitational-wave observatories is currently unknown. GW190521,is the heaviest black hole merger detected so far. Its observed high mass and possible spin-induced orbital precession could arise from the binary having formed following a close encounter. An observational signature of close encounters is eccentric binary orbit, –; however, this feature is currently difficult to identify due to the lack of suitable gravitational waveforms. No eccentric merger has been previously found. Here we report 611 numerical relativity simulations covering the full eccentricity range and an estimation approach to probe the eccentricity of mergers. Our set of simulations corresponds to ~105waveforms, comparable to the number used in gravitational-wave searches, albeit with coarser mass ratio and spin resolution. We applied our approach to GW190521 and found that it is most consistent with a highly eccentric (; 90% credible level) merger within our set of waveforms. This interpretation is supported over a non-eccentric merger with >10 odds ratio if ≳10% of GW190521-like mergers are highly eccentric. Detectable orbital eccentricity would be evidence against an isolated binary origin, which is otherwise difficult to rule out on the basis of observed mass and spin,.