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GR: Fachverband Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie
GR 8: GW III
GR 8.1: Talk
Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 13:30–13:50, ZHG007
Systematic Errors In Gravitational Waveform Models — •Max Melching1, Frank Ohme1, and Sumit Kumar1, 2 — 1Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Callinstraße 38, 30167 Hannover, Germany — 2Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 8, Utrecht 3584 CS, Netherlands
Measurements of gravitational wave source properties rely on waveform models in order to compare the detector data with theoretical signal predictions and find the best-fitting parameters. However, the waveform models used today are not entirely faithful representations of numerical relativity due to the high computational cost of generating accurate simulations. Instead, several approximate models are used, which can lead to differences in the inferred results. Therefore, it is crucial to be able to describe and understand model-induced uncertainties, so-called systematic errors.
To date, however, there is no universal way to do so. In this talk, I will introduce geometric ideas from the Fisher-matrix formalism that allow interpreting signal differences as measurement uncertainties in the associated parameter space. This includes a discussion of the estimates derived in this formalism, e.g. about their accuracy. Additionally, I will talk about the interplay between systematic errors and the calibration uncertainty of gravitational wave detectors, addressing questions like: How to build up a reliable framework to account for them in parameter estimation? Can the two types of errors be distinguished? Which of them is dominant?
Keywords: gravitational waves; systematic errors; Fisher matrix; detector calibration