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Abstract We present the successful recovery of common-envelope ejection efficiency assumed in a simulated population of double white dwarf (DWD) binaries like those which may be observed by the future Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. We simulate the formation of DWD binaries by using the COSMIC population synthesis code to sample binary formation conditions such as initial mass function, metallicity of star formation, initial orbital period, and initial eccentricity. These binaries are placed in the m12i synthetic Milky Way–like galaxy, and their signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the LISA instrument is estimated, considering a Galactic gravitational-wave foreground informed by the population. Through the use of Fisher estimates, we construct a likelihood function for the measurement error of the LISA-bright DWD binaries (≥20 SNR,fGW≥ 5 mHz), in their gravitational-wave frequency (fGW) and chirp mass. By repeating this process for different assumptions of the common-envelope ejection efficiency, we apply Bayesian hierarchical inference to find the best match to an injected astrophysical assumption for a fiducial population model. We conclude that the impact of common-envelope ejection efficiency on the mass-transfer processes involved in DWD formation may be statistically relevant in the future observed LISA population, and that constraints on binary formation may be found by comparing simulated populations to a future observed population.
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This content will become publicly available on May 28, 2026
Localizing Dynamically Formed Black Hole Binaries in Milky Way Globular Clusters with LISA
Abstract The dynamical formation of binary black holes (BBHs) in globular clusters (GCs) may contribute significantly to the observed gravitational-wave (GW) merger rate. Furthermore, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) may detect many BBH sources from GCs at mHz frequencies, enabling the characterization of such systems within the Milky Way and nearby Universe. In this work, we use Monte CarloN-body simulations to construct a realistic sample of Galactic clusters, thus estimating the population, detectability, and parameter measurement accuracy of BBHs hosted within them. In particular, we show that the GW signal from 0.7 ± 0.7, 2.0 ± 1.7, 3.6 ± 2.3, and 13.4 ± 4.7 BBHs in Milky Way GCs can exceed the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold of SNR = 30, 5, 3, and 1 for a 10 yr LISA observation, with ∼50% of detectable sources exhibiting high eccentricities (e ≳ 0.9). Moreover, the Fisher matrix and Bayesian analyses of the GW signals indicate that these systems typically feature highly resolved orbital frequencies (δforb/forb ∼ 10−7to 10−5) and eccentricities (δe/e ∼ 10−3to 0.1), as well as a measurable total mass when SNR exceeds ∼20. Notably, we show that high-SNR BBHs can be confidently localized to specific Milky Way GCs with a sky localization accuracy ofδΩ ∼ 1 deg2, and we address the large uncertainties in their distance measurement (δR ∼ 0.3–20 kpc). The detection and localization of even a single BBH in a Galactic GC would allow accurate tracking of its long-term orbital evolution, enable a direct test of the role of GCs in BBH formation, and provide a unique probe into the evolutionary history of Galactic clusters.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2206428
- PAR ID:
- 10646811
- Publisher / Repository:
- The Astrophysical Journal Letters
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal Letters
- Volume:
- 985
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2041-8205
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- L42
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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