BibTeX

@article{2512.05193v1,
Author        = {Chiara Anselmo and Costantino Pacilio and Davide Gerosa},
Title         = {Black-hole ringdown with templates capturing spin precession: a critical re-analysis of GW190521},
Eprint        = {2512.05193v1},
ArchivePrefix = {arXiv},
PrimaryClass  = {gr-qc},
Abstract      = {The ringdown phase of a binary black-hole merger provides a clean probe of strong-field gravity, as it can be modeled with minimal assumptions. The quasi-normal-mode frequencies encode the mass and spin of the Kerr black-hole remnant, while the mode excitation depends on the progenitor binary. In this paper, we implement a recently developed amplitude model that captures spin precession in a simulation-based inference pipeline that specifically targets ringdown signals. We present a critical re-analysis of GW190521 -- a short-duration, merger-dominated event with conflicting interpretations. Spin-aligned and precessing analyses at two ringdown start times show that precession induces modest but systematic shifts in inferred parameters and subdominant mode amplitudes, although such ringdown-only analyses provide no strong evidence for precession. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of physics-informed precessing ringdown modelling, paving the way for the identification of spin precession in gravitational-wave events using solely their ringdown stages, where waveform systematics are expected to be substantially less prominent.},
Year          = {2025},
Month         = {Dec},
Url           = {http://arxiv.org/abs/2512.05193v1},
File          = {2512.05193v1.pdf}
}