A new gravitational wave event reveals a binary black hole merger with total mass 190-265 solar masses, indicating black holes can form via gravitational-wave driven mergers beyond standard stellar channels.
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Post-Newtonian Theory for Gravitational Waves
Canonical reference. 76% of citing Pith papers cite this work as background.
abstract
To be observed and analyzed by the network of current gravitational wave detectors (LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA), and in anticipation of future third generation ground based (Einstein Telescope, Cosmic Explorer) and space borne (LISA) detectors, inspiralling compact binaries -- binary star systems composed of neutron stars and/or black holes in their late stage of evolution prior the final coalescence -- require high-accuracy predictions from general relativity. The orbital dynamics and emitted gravitational waves of these very relativistic systems can be accurately modelled using state-of-the-art post-Newtonian theory. In this article we review the Multipolar-Post-Minkowskian approximation scheme, merged to the standard Post-Newtonian expansion into a single formalism valid for general isolated matter system. This cocktail of approximation methods (called MPM-PN) has been successfully applied to compact binary systems, producing equations of motion up to the fourth-post-Newtonian (4PN) level, and gravitational waveform and flux to 4.5PN order beyond the Einstein quadrupole formula. We describe the dimensional regularization at work in such high post-Newtonian calculations, for curing both ultra-violet and infra-red divergences. Several landmark results are detailed: the definition of multipole moments, the gravitational radiation reaction, the conservative dynamics of circular orbits, the first law of compact binary mechanics, and the non-linear effects in the gravitational wave propagation (tails, iterated tails and non-linear memory). We also discuss the case of compact binaries moving on eccentric orbits, and the effects of spins (both spin-orbit and spin-spin) on the equations of motion and gravitational wave energy flux and waveform.
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representative citing papers
First NR-PM comparison for generic-spin black hole scattering reveals strong-field precessional turning-point structure with polar-angle sign change absent from perturbative PM.
Numerical relativity simulations of black hole scattering in Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity agree closely with effective-one-body analytic predictions.
Future microhertz detections combined with nanohertz pulsar terms can serve as gravity echoes to measure supermassive black hole binary inspiral rates from hundreds to thousands of years in the past.
Derives the 4PN conservative map between constants of motion and fundamental frequencies for eccentric orbits, resummed over eccentricity and validated against circular-orbit and self-force results.
At 5PM-1SF order, Calabi-Yau three-fold periods emerge in radiation-reacted observables for classical black hole scattering computed with worldline QFT and advanced IBP/DE methods.
All gravitational-wave binaries analyzed through O4a are consistent with zero line-of-sight acceleration, measured with a new time-domain Doppler method applicable to any waveform model.
In higher-derivative gravity, the leading correction to extreme-mass-ratio inspiral waveforms and fluxes enters at 5PN order and is controlled by the ℓ=2 tidal Love number.
Ultra-relativistic black hole flybys can radiate over 65% of their energy in gravitational waves via irregular waveforms caused by radiation trapping and lensing, without coalescence.
Numerical simulations of equal-mass boson-star mergers reveal larger waveform deviations from black-hole binaries in late inspiral and merger, plus odd multipole excitations for certain scalar-field phases, with some signals degenerate until IMR consistency tests are applied.
Derives large-eccentricity asymptotics for post-Newtonian eccentric waveform Fourier modes and builds a fast endpoint-constrained analytic approximation with error under 10^{-3} valid to p=200.
No three-body encounter signatures detected in GW170817, GW190814, and GW230627_015337, constraining intermediate-mass black holes above 100 solar masses within roughly 0.1 AU of these binaries.
The gwNRHME framework constructs a multi-modal non-spinning eccentric gravitational waveform surrogate by modulating quasi-circular models with universal eccentric functions, achieving median mismatches of ~9e-5 against 156 NR waveforms.
Polynomial models for the (2,2) post-merger waveform amplitudes of eccentric non-spinning binary black holes are constructed from numerical-relativity data as functions of symmetric mass ratio and two merger-time dynamical parameters.
Closed-form Sommerfeld factor via EFT connection matrix with analytic O(G^10) magnitude and phase for l=0,1,2 waves, plus a new RG equation for radiative multipole moments that improves waveform resummation beyond tail logarithms.
Horizon multipole moments of a Kerr black hole are computed in closed form from two definitions, yielding different values for l >= 1 at nonzero spin and sharing parity and small-spin scaling with field multipoles.
Self-force theory is extended to compute merger and ringdown waveforms in beyond-GR black hole binaries under the extreme mass-ratio approximation, with first calculations of self-force corrections to the merger waveform.
A unified framework for the perturbed Kepler problem derives modified eccentric orbits and gravitational wave imprints from a general perturbed potential, offering a source-specific alternative to post-Newtonian expansions.
New non-orbit-averaged 2.5PN equations for eccentric non-spinning black-hole binaries derived via energy-momentum mappings, showing Peters 1964 orbit-averaged equations break at first pericenter.
Derives NNLO post-Newtonian tidal contributions to conservative dynamics and ten conserved quantities in massless scalar-tensor theories for spinless sources, with extension to Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity.
Head-on charged black hole mergers in Einstein-Maxwell-scalar theory can leave a scalarized remnant or dynamically lose scalar hair, depending on coupling strength and remnant charge.
For orbital velocities below 0.45, PN energy flux agreement with NR improves up to incomplete 6PN with non-monotonic behavior, but convergence is lost near v approximately 0.5.
Head-on black-hole mergers next to a companion show Doppler- and redshift-shifted ringdown, lensing magnification behind the lens, and delayed echo images, with only tentative signs of resonant mode excitation.
The gravitational impulse for ultrarelativistic massive scalars is resummed to all orders in G_N at fixed G_N s/mb, recovering post-Minkowski results and predicting the leading high-energy behavior to eleventh post-Minkowski order.
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- Post-Newtonian inspiral waveform model for eccentric precessing binaries with higher-order modes and matter effects