Inspiral-Merger-Ringdown Waveforms for Black-Hole Binaries with Nonprecessing Spins

We present the first analytical inspiral-merger-ringdown gravitational waveforms from binary black holes (BBHs) with nonprecessing spins, that is based on a description of the late-inspiral, merger and ringdown in full general relativity. By matching a post-Newtonian description of the inspiral to a set of numerical-relativity simulations, we obtain a waveform family with a conveniently small number of physical parameters. These waveforms will allow us to detect a larger parameter space of BBH coalescence, including a considerable fraction of precessing binaries in the comparable-mass regime, thus significantly improving the expected detection rates.

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• SA
  Science and Technology Facilities Council

  Awards: ST/I000887/1, Gravitational Waves, ST/H008438/1