Minimum energy and the end of the inspiral in the post-Newtonian approximation
Minimum energy and the end of the inspiral in the post-Newtonian approximation
The early inspiral phase of a compact binary coalescence is well modelled by the post-Newtonian (PN) approximation to the orbital energy and gravitational wave flux. The transition from the inspiral phase to the plunge can be defined by the minimum energy circular orbit (MECO). In the extreme mass-ratio limit, up …