Gravitational Wave Chirp Signal

Binary inspiral · frequency evolution · strain amplitude · LIGO-like detection
Mass 1 (M☉) 36
Mass 2 (M☉) 29
Distance (Mpc) 410
Noise level 0.3
Chirp mass—
t_merger—
f_ISCO—
Peak strain—
As two black holes spiral inward, they emit gravitational waves that increase in frequency and amplitude — a "chirp". The waveform is governed by the chirp mass ℳ = (m₁m₂)^(3/5)/(m₁+m₂)^(1/5). The frequency evolves as f(t) ∝ (t_c−t)^(-3/8). Merger occurs near the ISCO (Innermost Stable Circular Orbit) at f = c³/(6^(3/2)·π·G·M). GW150914 (shown by default) was detected by LIGO on September 14, 2015.