Item

Abstract

I provide a frequency domain reduced order model (ROM) for the aligned-spin effective-one-body (EOB) model "SEOBNRv2" for data analysis with second and third generation ground based gravitational wave (GW) detectors. SEOBNRv2 models the dominant mode of the GWs emitted by the coalescence of black hole (BH) binaries. The large physical parameter space (dimensionless spins $-1 \leq \chi_i \leq 0.99$ and symmetric mass-ratios $0.01 \leq \eta \leq 0.25$) requires sophisticated reduced order modeling techniques, including patching in the parameter space and in frequency. I find that the time window over which the inspiral-plunge and the merger-ringdown waveform in SEOBNRv2 are connected is discontinuous when the spin of the deformed Kerr BH $\chi=0.8$ or the symmetric mass-ratio $\eta \sim 0.083$. This discontinuity increases resolution requirements for the ROM. The ROM can be used for compact binary systems with total masses of $2 M_\odot$ or higher for the advanced LIGO (aLIGO) design sensitivity and a $10$ Hz lower cutoff frequency. The ROM has a worst mismatch against SEOBNRv2 of $\sim 1\%$, but in general mismatches are better than $\sim 0.1\%$. The ROM is crucial for key data analysis applications for compact binaries, such as GW searches and parameter estimation carried out within the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC).