Detecting Binary Black Holes With Efficient and Reliable Templates

Detecting binary black holes in interferometer data requires an accurate knowledge of the orbital phase evolution of the system. From the point of view of data analysis one also needs fast algorithms to compute the templates that will employed in searching for black hole binaries. Recently, there has been progress on both these fronts: On the one hand, re-summation techniques have made it possible to accelerate the convergence of poorly convergent asymptotic post-Newtonian series and derive waveforms beyond the conventional adiabatic approximation. We now have a waveform model that extends beyond the inspiral regime into the plunge phase followed by the quasi-normal mode ringing. On the other hand, explicit Fourier domain waveforms have been derived that make the generation of waveforms fast enough so as not to be a burden on the computational resources required in filtering the detector data. These new developments should make it possible to efficiently and reliably search for black hole binaries in data from first interferometers.