Periastron Advance in Black-Hole Binaries
Abstract
The general relativistic (Mercury-type) periastron advance is calculated here for the first time with exquisite precision in full general relativity. We use accurate numerical relativity simulations of spinless black hole binaries with mass ratios 1/8 < m1/m2 < 1 and compare with the predictions of several analytic approximation schemes. We find the effective-one-body model to be remarkably accurate, and, surprisingly, so also the predictions of self-force theory [replacing m1/m2 --> m1m2/(m1+m2)^2]. Our results can inform a universal analytic model of the two-body dynamics, crucial for ongoing and future gravitational-wave searches.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1106.3278,
title = {Periastron Advance in Black-Hole Binaries},
author = {Alexandre Le Tiec and Abdul H. Mroué and Leor Barack and Alessandra Buonanno and Harald P. Pfeiffer and Norichika Sago and Andrea Taracchini},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1106.3278},
year = {2013}
}
Comments
5 pages, 3 figures; v2: new abstract, updated figures correcting minor error, added references, minor changes to match published version; to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett