# Black hole puncture initial data with realistic gravitational wave content

## TL;DR

This paper introduces improved initial data for non-spinning black-hole binaries that incorporate realistic gravitational wave content, enhancing the accuracy of numerical simulations and bridging the gap between inspiral and merger waveforms.

## Contribution

The authors explicitly calculate integral terms to include realistic gravitational waves in initial data, improving accuracy in the far zone for black-hole binary simulations.

## Key findings

- Improved initial data includes realistic gravitational waves.
- Agreement of metric with quadrupole-approximation waveforms.
- Enables direct connection between inspiral and merger waveforms.

## Abstract

We present improved post-Newtonian-inspired initial data for non-spinning black-hole binaries, suitable for numerical evolution with punctures. We revisit the work of Tichy et al. [W. Tichy, B. Bruegmann, M. Campanelli, and P. Diener, Phys. Rev. D 67, 064008 (2003)], explicitly calculating the remaining integral terms. These terms improve accuracy in the far zone and, for the first time, include realistic gravitational waves in the initial data. We investigate the behavior of these data both at the center of mass and in the far zone, demonstrating agreement of the transverse-traceless parts of the new metric with quadrupole-approximation waveforms. These data can be used for numerical evolutions, enabling a direct connection between the merger waveforms and the post-Newtonian inspiral waveforms.