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arXiv · 2510.13954

Quasinormal mode content of binary black hole ringdowns

Richard Dyer·Christopher J. Moore
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Abstract

We present a fully Bayesian, data-driven framework for identifying quasinormal modes in high-accuracy Cauchy-Characteristic Evolution (CCE) gravitational waveforms. Applying this to a public catalog, we identify QNM overtones, retrograde modes, and nonlinear modes up to cubic order in the ringdown. Multiple high-order overtones are found near the merger, confirming their physical significance for modeling the ringdown. The ringdown mode content is tabulated across a wide range of start times for all available simulations, providing a systematic reference for theoretical and observational studies. We also search for late-time power-law tails, which are, as expected, absent from the CCE waveforms.

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Richard Dyer, Christopher J. Moore. 2025-10-15. Quasinormal mode content of binary black hole ringdowns. https://doi.org/10.1103/ptmd-rz1t

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