Dominik3

The next gravitational wave detectors should soon operate at design sensitivity, frequently detecting gravitational waves.
What will we see? What might we learn? Particularly when advanced detectors can see massive binaries out to significant redshift? In a recent paper, my collaborators and I try to figure that out.

LIGO and similar gravitational wave detectors are more sensitive to bigger (more massive) binaries. In previous work (Domink et al 2013), we showed ancient, low-metallicity star formation preferentially produced high-mass binaries at a high rate. In this work, we map out what we might detect and why:

• LIGO ought to preferentially detect more BH-BH binaries than anything else

• The detected mass distribution should be broad, including relatively massive objects.

• Detected binary black holes were formed in the early unverse. Detected double neutron star (NS-NS) binaries are formed recently.

• The detected (chirp) mass distribution for NS-NS and double black hole (BH-BH) varies significantly and on physical grounds as we change our assumptions.

For experts: For relativists, our detection rate calculations include high-mass black hole binaries, with realistic spin-dependent merger waveforms; sources at cosmologically significant distances and time-dependent merger rates; and reasonable corrections for beaming and multi-instrument sensitivity.
We predict a high BH-BH merger and hence detection rate because we include the significant contribution from low-metallicity star-forming gas, integrated over all cosmic time.

For more information:

• Our current paper Dominik et al (2014) (arxiv:1405.7016)

• The two previous papers in the series: the merger rate per volume over cosmic time (Domink et al 2013) and updated massive star population synthesis, including revised common envelope and wind mass loss (Dominik et al 2012)

• What gravitational wave instruments will provide: the LIGO ‘rates paper’, Abadie et al 2010; an LVC survey of prospects for EM followup of GW events