Gravitational waves from inspiralling compact binaries: Angular momentum
flux, evolution of the orbital elements and the wave form to the second
post-Newtonian order
The post-post-Newtonian (2PN) accurate mass quadrupole moment, for compact
binaries of arbitrary mass ratio, moving in general orbits is obtained by the
multi-polar post Minkowskian approach of Blanchet, Damour, and Iyer (BDI).
Using this, for binaries in general orbits, the 2PN contributions to the
gravitational waveform, and the associated far-zone energy and angular momentum
fluxes are computed. For quasi-elliptic orbits, the energy and angular momentum
fluxes are averaged over an orbital period, and employed to determine the 2PN
corrections to the rate of decay of the orbital elements.Comment: 49 pages, No figures, accepted for publication in Phy. Rev. D (15