Entropic Corrections to Gravitational Wave Amplitudes from Black Hole Mergers

We study a phenomenological entropic correction to gravitational-wave amplitudes from binary black hole mergers in the form hₑntropy = hₛtandard * (1 + beta * DeltaS/Sₘax), with geometric factor DeltaS/Sₘax = 2q/ (1+q) ², where q = M2/M1. In this version, beta is treated as a global working scale of the model rather than a first-principles constant. Empirical validation is performed on 12 GWTC-3 events in a two-track setup: (A) catalog-level analysis and (B) independent analysis of calibrated GWOSC strain segments. For fixed beta = 0. 1, catalog-level corrections are typically in the ~3-5% range and follow the expected mass-ratio dependence. On the strain track, model-data agreement improves under the selected squared log-residual metric (paired test plus bootstrap interval), interpreted as compatibility of the fixed working scale within the adopted setup. Consistency checks show strong dependence on q and no significant dependence on distance or spin in the current N=12 sample. Results support interpreting the entropic term as a subdominant correction to standard GR rather than a replacement. Main limitations are sample size, moderate effect size, and the absence of a strict first-principles derivation of beta. The deposit includes the manuscript PDF and LaTeX source, bibliography, figures, tables, ancillary Python scripts, reproducibility checklist, and submission notes.