Frank Ohme
Abstract:
Models of the gravitational-wave signals emitted by merging black holes have continuously been improved over the past decades. State-of-the-art models now combine analytical and numerical approaches to describe all stages of the binary coalescence, and they capture a variety of physical effects. The recent LIGO observation of a binary black hole merger showed that this level of model sophistication is needed in the analysis of experimental data. In this talk, I will review the status of complete waveform models and illustrate that their systematic uncertainties had minimal impact on the information extracted from GW150914. Not all conceivable signals could be deciphered so unambiguously with our current set of waveform models, and I will discuss limitations and future requirements for gravitational waveform modelling of compact binaries in the era of regular gravitational-wave detections.