Source confusion of massive black-hole binaries for the Taiji mission
Abstract
We systematically investigate the source confusion of massive black hole binaries (MBHBs) for the Taiji space-based gravitational wave mission. Source confusion, arising from the overlap of signals in both time and frequency domains, can degrade parameter recovery accuracy. To assess this effect, we simulate three representative models MBHB populations to estimate event overlap events. Assuming 100 detections per year, only 0.31-4.2 overlaps are expected annually. Based on Fisher information matrix with the $\texttt{IMRPhenomD}$ and $\texttt{IMRPhenomHM}$ waveform models, we find that overlap significantly enlarges parameter uncertainties, while the inclusion of higher-order modes (HMs) effectively mitigates this effect. Severe confusion ($Δ\mathcal{M}_z / \mathcal{M}_z
Fields of Study & Subjects
Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
Geophysics and Gravity Measurements
Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Physical review. D/Physical review. D.
- Volume
- 113
- Issue
- 12
- Publication date
- 12 May 2026
- Language
- EN