Validating the Effective-One-Body Numerical-Relativity Waveform Models for Spin-aligned Binary Black Holes along Eccentric Orbits

TL;DR

This paper validates the SEOBNRE waveform model for spin-aligned binary black holes in eccentric orbits by comparing it against a large set of numerical relativity simulations, showing high accuracy and potential for gravitational wave data analysis.

Contribution

The paper provides the first comprehensive validation of the SEOBNRE model against 278 NR waveforms, demonstrating its effectiveness for eccentric spin-aligned BBH coalescence.

Findings

SEOBNRE model achieves over 99% fitting factor for most waveforms.

Model accurately reproduces waveforms with large eccentricity, spin, and mass ratio.

Validation supports using SEOBNRE as template waveforms in GW data analysis.

Abstract

Effective-one-body (EOB) numerical-relativity (NR) waveform models for spin-aligned binary black holes (BBHs), known as the SEOBNR waveform models, are based on the EOB theoretical framework and NR simulations. SEOBNR models have played an important role in the LIGO scientific collaboration (LSC) gravitational wave (GW) data analysis for both signal search and parameter estimation. SEOBNR models for quasi-circular orbits have evolved through version 1 to version 4 by extending their validity domain and including more NR results. Along another direction, we recently extended SEOBNRv1 model to SEOBNRE model which is valid for spin-aligned BBH coalescence along eccentric orbits. In this paper we validate this theoretical waveform model by comparing them against the numerical relativity simulation bank, Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes (SXS) catalog. In total, 278 NR waveforms are investigated which include binaries with large eccentricity; large spin and large mass ratio. Our SEOBNRE can model the NR waveforms quite well. The fitting factor for most of the 278 waveforms is larger than 99\%. It indicates that the SEOBNRE model could be used as template waveforms for eccentric spin-aligned BBH coalescence.