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Detectability of Gravitational Waves from High-Redshift Binaries.
Pablo A Rosado1, Paul D Lasky2, Eric Thrane2
1Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia.
Physical Review Letters
|March 26, 2016
Summary
Supermassive black hole binaries may be detectable across the universe, even at high redshifts. Future gravitational wave searches can target these evolving, distant binaries.
Area of Science:
- Astrophysics
- Cosmology
- Gravitational Wave Astronomy
Background:
- Nondetection of gravitational-wave backgrounds from pulsar timing arrays creates uncertainty regarding supermassive black hole binary evolution.
- Conventional wisdom suggests limited detectability of individual supermassive black hole binaries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the detectability of individual supermassive black hole binaries with current and future gravitational wave observatories.
- To challenge the notion that these binaries are undetectable at high redshifts.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of current gravitational wave observatory capabilities.
- Calculation of maximum observable distances for binaries using realistic waveforms and accounting for redshift.
- Theoretical modeling of binary detection limits.
Main Results:
- Some supermassive black hole binaries, particularly those with masses ≳10^10 M☉, are detectable by current pulsar timing arrays at arbitrarily high redshifts.
- Less massive binaries will become detectable with more sensitive future arrays.
- The maximum observable distance for binaries has been calculated, considering redshift and realistic waveforms.
Conclusions:
- Gravitational wave searches for nanohertz waves can be expanded to include evolving high-redshift binaries.
- The detectability of supermassive black hole binaries throughout the universe is feasible.
- Future pulsar timing array sensitivity will enhance the detection of a wider range of binaries.
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