Detection template families for gravitational waves from the final stages of binary--black-hole inspirals: Nonspinning case

TL;DR

This paper develops detection template families for gravitational waves from nonspinning black hole binaries with masses 5-20 solar masses, comparing post-Newtonian models and estimating detection efficiency.

Contribution

It constructs comprehensive detection template families that encompass various post-Newtonian approximations for nonspinning black hole binaries, enhancing detection prospects.

Findings

Fitting factor > 0.95 for detection templates

Event-rate loss estimated below 15%

Template discretization increases loss to below 20%

Abstract

We investigate the problem of detecting gravitational waves from binaries of nonspinning black holes with masses m = 5--20 Msun, moving on quasicircular orbits, which are arguably the most promising sources for first-generation ground-based detectors. We analyze and compare all the currently available post--Newtonian approximations for the relativistic two-body dynamics; for these binaries, different approximations predict different waveforms. We then construct examples of detection template families that embed all the approximate models, and that could be used to detect the true gravitational-wave signal (but not to characterize accurately its physical parameters). We estimate that the fitting factor for our detection families is >~0.95 (corresponding to an event-rate loss <~15%) and we estimate that the discretization of the template family, for ~10^4 templates, increases the loss to <~20%.