Eccentricity matters: Impact of eccentricity on inferred binary black hole populations

Understand

Gravitational waves (GW), emanating from binary black holes (BBH), encode vital information about their source.

• GW signals enable us to deduce key properties of the BBH population across the universe, including mass, spin, and eccentricity distribution.
• While the masses and spins of binary components are already recognized for their insights into formation, eccentricity stands out as a distinct and quantifiable indicator of formation and evolution.
• Yet, despite its significance, eccentricity is notably absent from most parameter estimation (PE) analyses associated with GW signals.