Exploring the Relationships Between Binary Black Hole Parameters and Gravitational-Wave Signal Characteristics

This study sought to investigate how Binary Black Hole (BBH) parameters—chirp mass, mass ratio, and luminosity distance—influence key Gravitational Wave (GW) signal features maximum frequency, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Examining GWs enables the study of the dynamics of BBH systems as their physical properties can reflect observable signal characteristics. A quantitative research is conducted utilizing a set of 16 high-SNR events from the Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalogs. For each event, physical parameters were extracted from catalog data, and maximum frequencies were obtained from previous discovery papers or estimated through Q-transform visualizations of strain time-series. With these data, five parameter pairs—chirp mass vs. maximum frequency, mass ratio vs. maximum frequency, distance vs. maximum frequency, chirp mass vs. SNR, mass ratio vs. SNR—are analyzed by Pearson and Spearman correlations. Analyses revealed generally weak relationships between BBH parameters and GW signal characteristics, suggesting the subtle influence of BBH parameters on GW signal features and the potential role of untested variables, like spin, orbital orientation. Future work should focus on strengthening the precision of GW data analysis by incorporating methods such as bootstrapping, expanding the range of examined signal characteristics, and improved signal-extraction tools. This research can help deepen the understanding of how fundamental black hole properties impact the signals we observe.