Related papers: Expect the unexpected: augmented mixture models fo…
In a recent paper arXiv:0709.0299, we introduced a spin expansion that provides a simple yet powerful way to understand aspects of binary black hole (BBH) merger. This approach relies on the symmetry properties of initial and final…
After a long wait, gravitational wave astronomy has finally begun. Binary black hole mergers are being detected by LIGO and Virgo, and theorists are starting to receive a wealth of data to be analized. At this point we can at long last…
We describe and analyze a broad class of mixture models for real-valued multivariate data in which the probability density of observations within each component of the model is represented as an arbitrary combination of basis functions.…
We present a highly accurate, fully analytical model for the late inspiral, merger, and ringdown of black-hole binaries with arbitrary mass ratios and spin vectors, including the contributions of harmonics beyond the fundamental mode. This…
We present a new method to search for gravitational waves from quasinormal modes in the ringdowns of the remnants of the mergers of the binary black hole systems. The method is based on maximum likelihood estimation. We derive a time-domain…
Binary black hole (BBH) mergers detected via gravitational waves are addressing key open questions in astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics. Our scientific conclusions rely on extracting accurate source parameters, for which we…
The LIGO/Virgo collaboration has recently announced the detection of a heavy binary black hole merger, with component masses that cannot be explained by standard stellar structure theory. In this letter we propose several explanations based…
With the hundreds of merging binary black hole (BH) signals expected to be detected by LIGO/Virgo, LISA and other instruments in the next few years, the modeling of astrophysical channels that lead to the formation of compact-object…
The Advanced LIGO and Virgo detectors opened a new era to study black holes (BHs) in our Universe. A population of stellar-mass binary BHs (BBHs) are discovered to be heavier than previously expected. These heavy BBHs provide us an…
Strong lensing of gravitational waves can produce several detectable images as repeated events in the upcoming observing runs, which can be detected with the posterior overlap analysis (Bayes factor). The choice of the binary black hole…
This paper reports on an unmodeled, all-sky search for gravitational waves from merging intermediate mass black hole binaries (IMBHB). The search was performed on data from the second joint science run of the LIGO and Virgo detectors (July…
The standard model of cosmology is underpinned by the assumption of the statistical isotropy of the Universe. Observations of the cosmic microwave background, galaxy distributions, and supernovae, among other media, support the assumption…
The population analysis of compact binaries involves the reconstruction of some of the gravitational wave (GW) signal parameters, such as, the mass and the spin distribution, that gave rise to the observed data. This article introduces…
Gravitational waves provide a powerful probe of both the astrophysical processes driving black hole mergers and the dynamics of the Universe, but these measurements rely on accurately inferring the unknown underlying population. We perform…
The spin orientations of spinning binary black hole (BBH) mergers detected by ground-based gravitational wave detectors such as LIGO and Virgo can provide important clues about the formation of such binaries. However, these spin tilts,…
Nearly all of the previous gravitational wave (GW) searches in the LIGO-Virgo data included GW waveforms with only the dominant quadrupole harmonic, i.e., omitting higher-order harmonics which are predicted by general relativity. We…
The formation environments of merging binary black holes remain uncertain. While hierarchical assembly in dense stellar clusters has been widely explored as an explanation for black holes exceeding the stellar-mass limit, growth through gas…
Many traditional algorithms applied in gravitational-wave astronomy rely on the assumption of Gaussian noise, a condition not always met. To meet this need, this study extends a robust statistical framework, advancing previous work on…
The population of black holes observed via gravitational waves currently covers the local universe up to a redshift $z\lesssim 1$, for the most massive merging binaries, or $z\lesssim 0.25$ for low-mass BH binaries (BBH). Evolution of the…
It remains an open question whether the binary black hole mergers observed with gravitational-wave detectors originate from the evolution of isolated massive binary stars or were dynamically driven by perturbations from the environment.…