The Application Of Numerical Relativity To LIGO And LISA Data Analysis.

Recent advancements in the field of numerical relativity now make it possible to utilize the previously-unmodeled merger segment of an equal mass binary black hole inspiral, merger, and ringdown in the search for and characterization of gravitational wave signals. The implications for LIGO and LISA include enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio for all equal mass binary black hole events that merge in-band, thus increasing the event rate and improving parameter estimation, and providing a means to test different theories of gravity by comparing measured signals to simulations in the strong field regime of the merger. We present some preliminary expectations of the impact of these results on gravitational wave data analysis. © 2006 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]