Secondary-Mass Features improve Spectral-Siren $H_0$ Constraints

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Main Authors: Li, Yin-Jie, Wang, Yi-Ying, Wang, Yuan-Zhu, Tang, Shao-Peng, Fan, Yi-Zhong
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Li, Yin-Jie
Wang, Yi-Ying
Wang, Yuan-Zhu
Tang, Shao-Peng
Fan, Yi-Zhong
author_facet Li, Yin-Jie
Wang, Yi-Ying
Wang, Yuan-Zhu
Tang, Shao-Peng
Fan, Yi-Zhong
contents Gravitational-wave (GW) signals from compact binary coalescences (CBCs) enable independent measurements of the Hubble constant \(H_0\) via the spectral siren method, which critically depends on an accurate model of the source-frame mass distribution. While the primary mass function has been extensively studied, the impact of the secondary mass distribution on cosmological inference has been largely overlooked. Here, we perform a joint inference of population and cosmological parameters using 142 confident CBC detections from GWTC-4.0, adopting a new parametric model that flexibly describes features in both the component-mass spectrum and the pairing function, with particular emphasis on the secondary masses. We find \(H_0 = 71.4^{+13.8}_{-13.4} \;\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}\) (68\% CL) from spectral sirens alone, and \(H_0 = 73.5^{+9.2}_{-7.2} \;\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}\) when combined with the bright siren GW170817. Compared to the standard LVK Fullpop-4.0 analysis, these constraints represent improvements of \(\sim29.8\%\) and \(\sim22.2\%\) in \(H_0\) uncertainty, respectively. The enhanced precision is driven by previously unmodeled features, including peaks near \(18\,M_\odot\) and \(65\,M_\odot\) as well as mass-dependent pairing transitions at \(28\,M_\odot\) and \(52\,M_\odot\). Our results demonstrate that the secondary mass function is also a key ingredient for precision standard siren cosmology.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_11474
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Secondary-Mass Features improve Spectral-Siren $H_0$ Constraints
Li, Yin-Jie
Wang, Yi-Ying
Wang, Yuan-Zhu
Tang, Shao-Peng
Fan, Yi-Zhong
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Gravitational-wave (GW) signals from compact binary coalescences (CBCs) enable independent measurements of the Hubble constant \(H_0\) via the spectral siren method, which critically depends on an accurate model of the source-frame mass distribution. While the primary mass function has been extensively studied, the impact of the secondary mass distribution on cosmological inference has been largely overlooked. Here, we perform a joint inference of population and cosmological parameters using 142 confident CBC detections from GWTC-4.0, adopting a new parametric model that flexibly describes features in both the component-mass spectrum and the pairing function, with particular emphasis on the secondary masses. We find \(H_0 = 71.4^{+13.8}_{-13.4} \;\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}\) (68\% CL) from spectral sirens alone, and \(H_0 = 73.5^{+9.2}_{-7.2} \;\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}\) when combined with the bright siren GW170817. Compared to the standard LVK Fullpop-4.0 analysis, these constraints represent improvements of \(\sim29.8\%\) and \(\sim22.2\%\) in \(H_0\) uncertainty, respectively. The enhanced precision is driven by previously unmodeled features, including peaks near \(18\,M_\odot\) and \(65\,M_\odot\) as well as mass-dependent pairing transitions at \(28\,M_\odot\) and \(52\,M_\odot\). Our results demonstrate that the secondary mass function is also a key ingredient for precision standard siren cosmology.
title Secondary-Mass Features improve Spectral-Siren $H_0$ Constraints
topic Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.11474