Accuracy of inference on the physics of binary evolution from gravitational-wave observations

Understand

The properties of the population of merging binary black holes encode some of the uncertain physics of the evolution of massive stars in binaries.

• The binary black hole merger rate and chirp mass distribution are being measured by ground-based gravitational-wave detectors.
• We consider isolated binary evolution and explore how accurately the physical model can be constrained with such observations by applying the Fisher information matrix to the merging black hole population simulated with the rapid binary population synthesis code COMPAS.
• We investigate variations in four COMPAS parameters: common envelope efficiency, kick velocity dispersion, and mass loss rates during the luminous blue variable and Wolf--Rayet stellar evolutionary phases.