Unveiling the Fingerprint of Eccentric Binary Black Hole Mergers

Abstract

The orbital eccentricity plays a crucial role in shaping the dynamics of binary black hole (BBH) mergers. Remarkably, our recent findings reveal a universal oscillation in essential dynamic quantities: peak luminosity $L_{\text{peak}}$, masses $M_f$, spins $\alpha_f$, and recoil velocity $V_f$ of the final remnant black hole, as the initial eccentricity $e_0$ undergoes variation. In this letter, by leveraging RIT's extensive numerical relativistic simulations of nonspinning eccentric orbital BBH mergers, we not only confirm the universal oscillation in peak amplitudes (including harmonic modes), similar to the oscillations observed in $L_{\text{peak}}$, $M_f$, $\alpha_f$, and $V_f$, but also make the first discovery of a ubiquitous spiral-like internal fine structure that correlates $L_{\text{peak}}$, $M_f$, $\alpha_f$, $V_f$, and peak amplitudes. This distinctive feature, which we term the "fingerprint" of eccentric orbital BBH mergers, carries important implications for unraveling the intricate dynamics and astrophysics associated with eccentric orbital BBH mergers.