On the accuracy and precision of numerical waveforms: Effect of waveform extraction methodology

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive set of 95 high-accuracy numerical relativity simulations of binary black holes, analyzing waveform extraction errors and providing data to improve gravitational wave models.

Contribution

The study provides a large, diverse set of numerical waveforms with detailed error analysis, enhancing the validation and development of gravitational wave models.

Findings

Extraction errors dominate at certain mismatch levels.

Waveform errors are comparable across different sources.

Simulations cover a wide range of black hole spins and mass ratios.

Abstract

We present a new set of 95 numerical relativity simulations of non-precessing binary black holes (BBHs). The simulations sample comprehensively both black-hole spins up to spin magnitude of 0.9, and cover mass ratios 1 to 3. The simulations cover on average 24 inspiral orbits, plus merger and ringdown, with low initial orbital eccentricities $e<10^{-4}$. A subset of the simulations extends the coverage of non-spinning BBHs up to mass ratio $q=10$. Gravitational waveforms at asymptotic infinity are computed with two independent techniques, extrapolation, and Cauchy characteristic extraction. An error analysis based on noise-weighted inner products is performed. We find that numerical truncation error, error due to gravitational wave extraction, and errors due to the finite length of the numerical waveforms are of similar magnitude, with gravitational wave extraction errors somewhat dominating at noise-weighted mismatches of $\sim 3\times 10^{-4}$. This set of waveforms will serve to validate and improve aligned-spin waveform models for gravitational wave science.