2007/06/28 by Jason Grigsby, Jason D. Grigsby, Gregory B. Cook · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #gr-qc
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.77.044011
published as Phys.Rev.D77:044011,2008 · 12 pages, 11 figures, submitted to Physical Review D, revtex4
arxiv created 2007/06/28 · openalex publication_date 2008/02/08 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Initial data for evolving black-hole binaries can be constructed via many techniques, and can represent a wide range of physical scenarios. However, because of the way that different schemes parametrize the physical aspects of a configuration, it is not always clear what a given set of initial data actually represents. This is especially important for quasiequilibrium data constructed using the conformal thin-sandwich approach. Most initial-data studies have focused on identifying data sets that represent binaries in quasicircular orbits. In this paper, we consider initial-data sets representing equal-mass black-hole binaries in eccentric orbits. We will show that effective-potential techniques can be used to calibrate initial data for black-hole binaries in eccentric orbits. We will also examine several different approaches, including post-Newtonian diagnostics, for measuring the eccentricity of an orbit. Finally, we propose the use of the ``Komar-mass difference'' as a useful, invariant means of parametrizing the eccentricity of relativistic orbits.