Spins and Kicks: Further insights into the dynamical properties of compact binary mergers

The detection of over 90 compact object mergers involving black holes and neutron stars as gravitational wave events by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors over the course of three observing runs has ushered in the new era of gravitational wave astrophysics. Within a decade, we have transitioned from a detection to the population era, with a combined catalog of these events making it possible to study the population properties of compact objects, estimate their local merger rate, and provide clues as to how they can form binaries. In this talk, I will focus on two particular displays of the dynamical dance seen in these mergers: the spins and wobbles of binary black holes (BBH), and the final remnant kick of binary neutron stars (BNS). Precessing BBH systems have their spin vectors misaligned with the orbital angular momentum, and these spin tilts change as the binary evolves. Constraining these tilt angles can provide a valuable proxy to distinguish between BBH formation channels. I'll discuss how well we can constrain them with future ground-based detectors, and how their recovered posteriors change as we evolve the binaries back in time to their formation. My second project investigates the linear recoil or 'kick'; received by the remnant black hole formed after a BNS merger. With too high a recoil, the remnant may get kicked out of its stellar environment, making it unavailable for pairing in future mergers. Using data from numerical relativity simulations, we can accurately determine the magnitude of BNS kicks and their leading causes.