Striking a Chord with Spectral Sirens: Multiple Features in the Compact Binary Population Correlate with H0
Spectral siren measurements of the Hubble constant ( H _0 ) rely on correlations between observed detector-frame masses and luminosity distances. Features in the source-frame mass distribution can induce these correlations. It is crucial, then, to understand (i) which features in the source-frame ma...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9de7 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Spectral siren measurements of the Hubble constant ( H _0 ) rely on correlations between observed detector-frame masses and luminosity distances. Features in the source-frame mass distribution can induce these correlations. It is crucial, then, to understand (i) which features in the source-frame mass distribution are robust against model (re)parameterization, (ii) which features carry the most information about H _0 , and (iii) whether distinct features independently correlate with cosmological parameters. We study these questions using real gravitational-wave observations from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaborations' third observing run. Although constraints on H _0 are weak, we find that current data reveals several prominent features in the mass distribution, including peaks in the binary black hole source-frame mass distribution near ∼9 M _⊙ and ∼32 M _⊙ and a roll-off at masses above ∼46 M ⊙. For the first time using real data, we show that all of these features carry cosmological information and that the peak near ∼32 M _⊙ consistently correlates with H _0 most strongly. Introducing model-independent summary statistics, we show that these statistics independently correlate with H _0 , exactly what is required to limit systematics within future spectral siren measurements from the (expected) astrophysical evolution of the mass distribution. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1538-4357 |