Non-adiabatic dynamics of eccentric black-hole binaries in post-Newtonian theory

Understand

Eccentric black-hole binaries are among the most awaited sources of gravitational waves, yet their dynamics lack a consistent framework that provides a detailed and physically robust evolutionary description due to gauge issues.

• We present a new set of non-orbit-averaged equations, free from radiation-reaction gauge ambiguities, that accurately describe the evolution of orbital elements for eccentric, non-spinning black-hole binaries.
• We derive these equations by mapping the Keplerian orbital elements to a new set of characteristic parameters using energy and angular momentum definitions combined with near-identity transformations.
• The resulting framework is valid for arbitrary eccentricities, including parabolic and hyperbolic limits.