# The second RIT binary black hole simulations catalog and its application to gravitational waves parameter estimation

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive catalog of 320 numerical relativity simulations of binary black hole mergers, which aids in gravitational wave analysis and parameter estimation, including reanalysis of GW150914.

## Contribution

The paper presents the second public catalog of black-hole-binary waveforms with extensive simulations and tools for waveform analysis and parameter estimation.

## Key findings

- Catalog includes 320 simulations covering a range of mass ratios and spins.
- Waveforms are extrapolated for accurate gravitational wave interpretation.
- Application to GW150914 demonstrates the catalog's utility in parameter estimation.

## Abstract

The RIT numerical relativity group is releasing the second public catalog of black-hole-binary waveforms \url{http://ccrg.rit.edu/~RITCatalog}. This release consists of 320 accurate simulations that include 46 precessing and 274 nonprecessing binary systems with mass ratios $q=m_1/m_2$ in the range $1/6\leq q\leq1$ and individual spins up to $s/m^2=0.95$. The new catalog contains search and ordering tools for the waveforms based on initial parameters of the binary, trajectory information, peak radiation, and final remnant black hole properties. The final black hole remnant properties provided here can be used to model the merger of black-hole binaries from its initial configurations. The waveforms are extrapolated to infinite observer location and can be used to independently interpret gravitational wave signals from laser interferometric detectors. As an application of this waveform catalog we reanalyze the signal of GW150914 implementing parameter estimation techniques that make use of only numerical waveforms without any reference to information from phenomenological models.