arXiv subjects

Omkar Sridhar

Publications and source records attributed to Omkar Sridhar.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Characterizing Binary Black Hole Subpopulations in GWTC-4 with Binned Gaussian Processes: On the Origins of the $35M_{\odot}$ Peak

Understanding the astrophysical origins of binary black holes requires accurate and flexible modeling of multi-dimensional population properties. In this \textit{Letter}, using a data-driven framework based on binned Gaussian processes, we characterize the joint distribution of BBH primary masses, mass ratios, and effective inspiral spins. We identify three distinct subpopulations in the GWTC-4 sample of observations and investigate their astrophysical origins. We find that only one of the three subpopulations exhibits the $35M_{\odot}$ peak, which is characterized by a strong preference for equal mass systems and isotropic spin orientations. Our inferred distributions are consistent with a predominantly dynamical origin of this feature. By comparing with theoretical simulations, we further show that the subpopulation that exhibits the $35M_{\sun}$ peak can exclusively comprise dynamically assembled systems in globular clusters, specifically if black hole birth spins are in the range~$(0.1-0.2)$, whereas the other two subpopulations require substantial contributions from alternative formation channels. We constrain the \textit{lower bound} on the merger rate of BBHs in globular clusters to be $0.69^{+0.23}_{-0.33} \rm{Gpc}^{-3}\rm{yr}^{-1}$, which is consistent with most theoretical predictions(that can range from $0.2-57\rm{Gpc}^{-3}\rm{yr}^{-1}$ depending on modeling assumptions). We conclude that dynamical formation in globular clusters remains a strong candidate for the origin of this excess near $30-40M_{\odot}$ and that more data and targeted parametric models are necessary to rigorously establish this interpretation.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Spin precession effects in the phasing formula of eccentric compact binary inspirals up to the second post-Newtonian order

Compact binary systems emitting gravitational waves (GWs) can exhibit orbital eccentricity, along with generic spin orientations, leading to the precession of the orbital angular momentum, individual spins, and the orbital plane. While eccentric binaries with aligned spins are well studied, closed form post Newtonian (PN) expressions that simultaneously include eccentricity and precessing spin effects have remained unavailable. Eccentricity complicates orbital evolution because solving the coupled differential equations typically requires numerical integration, which slows down the generation of waveforms. We exploit the separation of timescales between orbital motion, spin precession, and radiation reaction, applying the precession averaging method of Morras et al. (2025) to remove explicit time dependence from the spin orbit and spin spin dynamics through the second PN order. Using this framework, we derive analytic phasing formulae from the evolution equations for orbital frequency and eccentricity, treating eccentricity as a small parameter. Closed form solutions for the eccentricity evolution and GW phase are obtained up to eighth order in the initial eccentricity. We also generalize the TaylorT2 approximant to include spin precession effects and compute the orbital phase in both time and frequency domains. To improve accuracy for moderate to high initial eccentricities, we perform a resummation of the TaylorT2 phasing. These results offer efficient, closed form phasing expressions that capture the coupled dynamics of eccentricity and precession, enabling more accurate and computationally tractable GW waveform modeling for data analysis.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Spin effects in the phasing formula of eccentric compact binary inspirals up to the third post-Newtonian order

Compact binary sources that emit gravitational waves (GW) are expected to be both spinning and on eccentric orbits. No closed-form expression for the phasing of GWs are available to date that contain information from both spin and eccentricity. The introduction of eccentricity can slow waveform generation, often requiring slower numerical methods governing its evolution. However, closed-form expressions for the waveform phase can be obtained when eccentricity is treated as a small parameter, enabling quick waveform generation. In this paper, closed-form expressions for the GW phasing in the form of Taylor approximants up to the eighth power in initial eccentricity $(e_0)$ are obtained while also including aligned spins up to the third post-Newtonian order. The phasing is obtained in both time and frequency domains. The fully analytical approximant (TaylorT2) is also resummed for usage in scenarios where initial eccentricities are as high as 0.5. The frequency domain approximant (TaylorF2) based on Stationary Phase approximation is compared with an existing model (TaylorF2Ecc) to assess the importance of the newly computed eccentric/spinning terms. The findings indicate that for eccentricities $\gtrsim 0.15$ (defined at 10 Hz) and small spins $(\sim 0.2)$, the mismatches can be higher than 1%. This leads to an overall loss in signal-to-noise ratio and lower detection efficiency of GWs coming from eccentric spinning compact binary inspirals if the combined effects of eccentricity and aligned spins are neglected in the waveforms.

gr-qc↗