Non-linear multipole interactions and gravitational-wave octupole modes for inspiralling compact binaries to third-and-a-half post-Newtonian order

Abstract

This paper is motivated by the need to improve the post-Newtonian (PN) amplitude accuracy of waveforms for gravitational waves generated by inspiralling compact binaries, both for use in data analysis and in the comparison between post-Newtonian approximations and numerical relativity computations. It presents (i) the non-linear couplings between multipole moments of general post-Newtonian matter sources up to order 3.5PN, including all contributions from tails, tails-of-tails and the non-linear memory effect; and (ii) the source mass-type octupole moment of (non-spinning) compact binaries up to order 3PN, which permits completion of the expressions of the octupole modes $(3,3)$ and $(3,1)$ of the gravitational waveform to order 3.5PN. On this occasion we reconfirm by means of independent calculations our earlier results concerning the source mass-type quadrupole moment to order 3PN. Related discussions on factorized resummed waveforms and the occurence of logarithmic contributions to high order are also included.