First joint population inference on binary black hole eccentricity from GWTC-4 bounds the eccentric branching ratio below 5% at 90% confidence, with results consistent with quasi-circular models but highly model-dependent.
The Effect of Eccentricity on Searches for Gravitational-Waves from Coalescing Compact Binaries in Ground-based Detectors
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abstract
Inspiralling compact binaries are expected to circularize before their gravitational-wave signals reach the sensitive frequency band of ground-based detectors. Current searches for gravitational waves from compact binaries using the LIGO and Virgo detectors therefore use circular templates to construct matched filters. Binary formation models have been proposed which suggest that some systems detectable by the LIGO--Virgo network may have non-negligible eccentricity. We investigate the ability of the restricted 3.5 post-Newtonian order TaylorF2 template bank, used by LIGO and Virgo to search for gravitational waves from compact binaries with masses $M \le 35 M_\odot$, to detect binaries with non-zero eccentricity. We model the gravitational waves from eccentric binaries using the $x$-model post-Newtonian formalism proposed by Hinder \emph{et. al.} [I. Hinder, F. Hermann, P. Laguna, and D. Shoemaker, arXiv:0806.1037v1]. We find that small residual eccentricities ($e_0 \lesssim 0.05$ at 40 Hz) do not significantly affect the ability of current LIGO searches to detect gravitational waves from coalescing compact binaries with total mass $2 M_\odot < M < 15 M_\odot$. For eccentricities $e_0 \gtrsim 0.1$, the loss in matched filter signal-to-noise ratio due to eccentricity can be significant and so templates which include eccentric effects will be required to perform optimal searches for such systems.
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Simulations of dynamically formed eccentric stellar-mass BBHs predict dozens of LISA-detectable sources in the Milky Way, hundreds of low-SNR extragalactic mHz sources, a merger rate of ~9 Gpc^{-3} yr^{-1}, and potential biases in LISA global fits.
Reanalysis of flagged LVK events with waveform uncertainty models produces consistent spin and precession inferences across raw/deglitched data and multiple waveform approximants.
citing papers explorer
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Population Properties of Binary Black Holes with Eccentricity
First joint population inference on binary black hole eccentricity from GWTC-4 bounds the eccentric branching ratio below 5% at 90% confidence, with results consistent with quasi-circular models but highly model-dependent.
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Eccentric Stellar-mass Binary Black Holes: Population, Detectability, and Waveform Analysis in the LISA and LIGO Era
Simulations of dynamically formed eccentric stellar-mass BBHs predict dozens of LISA-detectable sources in the Milky Way, hundreds of low-SNR extragalactic mHz sources, a merger rate of ~9 Gpc^{-3} yr^{-1}, and potential biases in LISA global fits.
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Mitigating Systematic Errors in Parameter Estimation of Binary Black Hole Mergers in O1-O3 LIGO-Virgo Data
Reanalysis of flagged LVK events with waveform uncertainty models produces consistent spin and precession inferences across raw/deglitched data and multiple waveform approximants.