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Edoardo Levati

Publications and source records attributed to Edoardo Levati.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

A Systematic Study of Resonance-Driven Flux Modifications in Extreme-Mass-Ratio Inspirals

Transient orbital resonances can introduce phase-dependent corrections to the evolution of extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs), potentially altering their long-term dynamics and emitted gravitational-wave signals. In this work, we quantify the resonance-induced modifications to the energy, axial angular momentum, and Carter constant fluxes and compute the corresponding resonance coefficients across a broad region of the orbital parameter space. Using the publicly available \texttt{pybhpt} code, we solve the Teukolsky equation in the frequency domain to coherently combine the degenerate radial and polar harmonics that arise at resonance. We analytically derive a selection rule governing the relative radial-polar phase dependence of the resonant flux modifications. We argue that the relative strengths of different resonances reflect a balance between symmetry-induced cancellations and the degree to which the resonant orbit samples the underlying two-dimensional orbital phase space. For the dynamically important $3{:}2$ and $2{:}1$ resonances, we also characterize how the resonance coefficients vary with the primary black-hole spin, orbital eccentricity and inclination. Our results constitute the largest set of Teukolsky-based resonance coefficients calculated to date and provide essential input for future studies of transient orbital resonances in EMRIs.

gr-qc↗

Parameter-estimation bias induced by transient orbital resonances in extreme-mass-ratio inspirals

Given the multifrequency nature of relativistic orbits, transient orbital resonances are expected to be ubiquitous during an extreme-mass-ratio inspiral (EMRI). At a resonance, the orbital dynamics is modified in a nontrivial way, imprinting an overall dephasing in the emitted gravitational waves and potentially impacting both the detection and parameter estimation of these sources. In this work, using a Fisher-matrix approach, we investigate the bias induced by transient orbital resonances in EMRI parameter estimation. We focus on the most dynamically significant low-order resonances, 3 : 2 and 2 : 1, as well as on the high-order, subdominant resonances 3 : 1 and 4 : 3. We find that, for most of the orbits considered, neglecting the effect of a resonance crossing leads to significant losses in signal-to-noise ratio and induces bias in parameter recovery. Furthermore, both the sign and the amplitude of the resonance-induced modifications to the integrals of motion play a crucial role and must be modeled accurately. Our results provide further evidence that failing to model transient orbital resonances accurately can hinder EMRI detection and parameter estimation, thereby limiting their scientific potential.

gr-qc↗

Cumulative effect of orbital resonances in extreme-mass-ratio inspirals

Orbital resonances in extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs) have been proven to be a key feature for accurate gravitational-wave template modeling. Decades of research have led to schemes that can not only model the adiabatic inspiral of such a binary system, but also account for the effects of resonances on their evolution. In this work, we use an effective resonance model that includes analytically derived corrections to the radiation reaction fluxes, to study the combined effects of both dominant (low-order) and subdominant (high-order) orbital resonances in EMRIs. We show that using single, universal shifts for all fluxes overestimates the resonance impact, and therefore individualized shifts for each resonance crossing are needed for accurate modeling. Our analysis reveals that the cumulative effects from multiple resonance crossings can significantly impact the orbital evolution of EMRIs, especially for highly eccentric orbits. Our results provide further evidence that resonance effects have to be included in template production to extract detailed astrophysical parameters from EMRI signals.

gr-qc↗