Novel signal-consistency test for gravitational-wave searches of generic black hole binaries

We propose a novel signal-consistency test applicable to a broad search for gravitational waves emitted by generic binary black hole (BBH) systems. The test generalizes the time domain ζ2 signal-consistency test currently utilized by the gstlal pipeline, which quantifies the discrepancy between the expected signal-to-noise ratio time series with the measured one. While the traditional test is restricted to aligned-spin circular orbits and does not account for higher-order modes (HMs), our test does not make any assumption on the nature of the signal. After addressing the mathematical details of the new test, we quantify its advantages in the context of searching for precessing BBHs and/or BBHs with HM content. Our results reveal that, for precessing signals, the new test is optimal and has the potential to reduce the values of the ζ2 statistics by up to 2 orders of magnitude when compared to the standard test. However, in the case of signals with HM content, only a modest enhancement is observed. Recognizing the computational burden associated with the new test, we also derive an approximated signal-consistency test. This approximation maintains the same computational cost as the standard test and can be easily implemented in any matched-filtering pipeline with minimal changes, sacrificing only a few percent of accuracy in the low-SNR regime. However, in the high-SNR regime, the approximated signal-consistency test does not bring any improvement as compared to the "standard"one. By introducing our new test and its approximation and understanding their validity and limitation, this work will benefit any matched-filtering pipeline aimed at searching for BBH signals with strong precession and/or HM content.