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Astrophysics, High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, astro-ph.HE,General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology, gr-qc
Abstract:
GW190521 is a remarkable gravitational-wave signal on multiple fronts: its
source is the most massive black hole binary identified to date and could have
spins misaligned with its orbit, leading to spin-induced precession -- an
astrophysically consequential property linked to the binary's origin. However,
due to its large mass, GW190521 was only observed during its final 3-4 cycles,
making precession constraints puzzling and giving rise to alternative
interpretations, such as eccentricity. Motivated by these complications, we
trace the observational imprints of precession on GW190521 by dissecting the
data with a novel time domain technique, allowing us to explore the morphology
and interplay of the few observed cycles. We find that precession inference
hinges on a quiet portion of the pre-merger data that is suppressed relative to
the merger-ringdown. Neither pre-merger nor post-merger data alone are the sole
driver of inference, but rather their combination: in the quasi-circular
scenario, precession emerges as a mechanism to accommodate the lack of a
stronger pre-merger signal in light of the observed post-merger. In terms of
source dynamics, the pre-merger suppression arises from a tilting of the binary
with respect to the observer. Establishing such a consistent picture between
the source dynamics and the observed data is crucial for characterizing the
growing number of massive binary observations and bolstering the robustness of
ensuing astrophysical claims.
