Mapping the asymptotic inspiral of precessing binary black holes to their merger remnants

Abstract

Multiple approaches are required to study the evolution of black-hole binaries. While the post-Newtonian (PN) approximation is sufficient to describe the early inspiral (even from infinitely large orbital separation), only numerical relativity can capture the full complexity of the dynamics near merger. We combine multi-timescale PN integrations with numerical-relativity surrogate models, thus mapping the entire history of the binary from its asymptotic configuration at past-time infinity to the post-merger remnant. This approach naturally allows us to assess the impact of the precessional and orbital phase on the properties—mass, spin, and kick—of the merger remnant. These phases introduce a fundamental uncertainty when connecting the two extrema of the binary evolution.