The inspiral-merger-ringdown (IMR) consistency test checks the consistency of the final mass and final spin of a binary black hole merger remnant, independently inferred via the inspiral and merger-ringdown parts of the waveform. As binaries are expected to be nearly circularized when entering the frequency band of ground-based detectors, tests of general relativity (GR) currently employ quasi-circular waveforms. We quantify the effect of residual orbital eccentricity on the IMR consistency test. We find that eccentricity causes a significant systematic bias in the inferred final mass and spin of the remnant black hole at an orbital eccentricity (defined at 10Hz) of e0 ≳ 0.1 in the LIGO band (for a total binary mass in the range 65 − 200 M⊙). For binary black holes observed by Cosmic Explorer (CE), the systematic bias becomes significant for e0 ≳ 0.015 (for 200 − 600 M⊙ systems). This eccentricity-induced bias on the final mass and spin leads to an apparent inconsistency in the IMR consistency test, manifesting as a false violation of GR. Hence, eccentric corrections to waveform models are important for constructing a robust test of GR, especially for 3rd-generation(3G) detectors.
Zoom link: https://icts-res-in.zoom.us/j/81533329666?pwd=VGlLUUNtc3RTSU5ob3RqaXdXcFJpZz09
Meeting ID: 815 3332 9666
Passcode: 171722