Gravitational waves from inspiraling compact binaries: Angular momentum flux, evolution of the orbital elements, and the waveform to the second post-Newtonian order

Abstract

The post-post-Newtonian (2PN) accurate mass quadrupole moment, for compact binaries of arbitrary mass ratio, moving in general orbits is obtained by the multi-polar post Minkowskian approach of Blanchet, Damour, and Iyer (BDI). Using this, for binaries in general orbits, the 2PN contributions to the gravitational waveform, and the associated far-zone energy and angular momentum fluxes are computed. For quasi-elliptic orbits, the energy and angular momentum fluxes are averaged over an orbital period, and employed to determine the 2PN corrections to the rate of decay of the orbital elements.