The increasing sophistication and accuracy of numerical simulations of compact binaries (especially binary black holes) presents the opportunity to test the regime in which post-Newtonian (PN) predictions for the emitted gravitational waves are accurate. In order to confront numerical results with those of post-Newtonian theory, it is convenient to compare multipolar decompositions of the two waveforms. It is pointed out here that the individual modes can be computed to higher post-Newtonian order by examining the radiative multipole moments of the system, rather than by decomposing the 2.5PN polarization waveforms. In particular, the dominant (l = 2, m = 2) mode can be computed to 3PN order. Individual modes are computed to as high a post-Newtonian order as possible given previous post-Newtonian results.
@article{arxiv.0710.0614,
title = {Using Full Information When Computing Modes of Post-Newtonian Waveforms From Inspiralling Compact Binaries in Circular Orbit},
author = {Lawrence E. Kidder},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0710.0614},
year = {2008}
}