Distinguishing types of compact-object binaries using the gravitational-wave signatures of their mergers
Abstract
We analyse the distinguishability of populations of coalescing binary neutron stars, neutron-star black hole binaries, and binary black holes, whose gravitational-wave signatures are expected to be observed by the advanced network of ground-based interferometers LIGO and Virgo. We consider population-synthesis predictions for plausible merging binary distributions in mass space, along with measurement accuracy estimates from the main gravitational-wave parameter-estimation pipeline. We find that for our model compact-object binary mass distribution, we can always distinguish binary neutron stars and black hole-neutron-star binaries, but not necessarily black hole-neutron-star binaries and binary black holes; however, with a few tens of detections, we can accurately identify the three subpopulations and measure their respective rates.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- June 2015
- DOI:
- 10.1093/mnrasl/slv054
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1503.03172
- Bibcode:
- 2015MNRAS.450L..85M
- Keywords:
-
- gravitational waves;
- binaries: close;
- stars: black holes;
- stars: neutron;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics;
- General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
- E-Print:
- Revised unabridged version (contains material omitted from published version)