Circularization and Final Spin in Eccentric Binary Black Hole Inspirals
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We present results from numerical relativity simulations of equal mass, non-spinning binary black hole inspirals and mergers with initial eccentricities e <= 0.8 and coordinate separations D >= 12 M of up to 9 orbits (18 gravitational wave cycles). We extract the mass M_f and spin a_f of the final black hole and find, for eccentricities e < 0.4, that a_f/M_f = 0.69 and M_f/M_adm = 0.96 are independent of the initial eccentricity, suggesting that the binary has circularized by the merger time. For e > 0.5, the black holes plunge rather than orbit, and we obtain a maximum spin parameter a_f/M_f = 0.72 around e = 0.5.
4 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Final version in PRD
4 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Final version in PRD