Sparse representations of gravitational waves from precessing compact binaries

Area of Science:

• Astrophysics
• Gravitational Wave Physics
• Computational Physics

Background:

• Gravitational waveforms from precessing compact binaries inhabit a large, seven-dimensional parameter space.
• This complexity hinders dense sampling for accurate waveform modeling in gravitational wave physics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for creating compact, high-accuracy representations of gravitational waveforms from precessing compact binary inspirals.
• To reduce the computational cost associated with simulating these complex astrophysical events.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the reduced basis method combined with a phase and precession-based waveform parametrization.
• Demonstrated the method's efficacy by analyzing precessing inspiral waveforms across various mass ratios and spin magnitudes.

Main Results:

• Less than 100 precessing inspiral waveforms accurately represent the parameter space for 200 cycles, mass ratios 1-10, and spin magnitudes up to 0.9.
• The first 10 reduced basis waveforms achieved a maximum mismatch of only 0.016.
• Parameters selected from the inspiral phase accurately informed the reduced basis for merger and ringdown phases.

Conclusions:

• The reduced basis method offers an ultracompact yet accurate representation of precessing binary black hole waveforms.
• Approximately 100 numerical simulations may suffice to accurately model the seven-dimensional parameter space for precession waveforms within the studied ranges.