PHYSICS SEMINAR
MODELING RIPPLES IN SPACE-TIME: HOW GOOD DO HYBRID WAVEFORMS FROM BINARY BLACK HOLE INTERACTIONS HAVE TO BE?
Ilana MacDonald
PhD Candidate
Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics
University of Toronto
Friday, October 14, 2011
1:30 p.m.
Nicolls 315
Einstein's theory of General Relativity predicts that the coalescence of two compact objects, such as black holes, will produce gravitational radiation, that is, ripples in the curvature of space-time. Detectors such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) will be able to measure these events within the next few years. To characterize the gravitational waves they measure, these detectors require accurate waveform models which can be constructed by fusing an analytical post-Newtonian inspiral waveform with a numerical relativity late-inspiral-merger-ringdown waveform. Numerical relativity, though the most accurate model, is computationally expensive, and post-Newtonian waveforms, though easily computed, become increasingly inaccurate near merger. Because of this, it is important to determine the optimal length of the numerical waveform while maintaining the necessary accuracy for gravitational wave detectors. This talk presents a study of the sufficient accuracy of post-Newtonian and numerical relativity waveforms for advanced gravitational wave detectors.
