Dynamical Evolution of Hierarchical Triple Systems and their Gravitational Wave Detectability

Hierarchical triple systems (HTSs), composed of an inner compact binary and a distant tertiary companion, can undergo secular interactions that induce Kozai–Lidov (KL) oscillations. These oscillations can drive the inner binary to high eccentricities, substantially enhancing its gravitational wave (GW) emission. In this work, we simulate the evolution of such systems using the N-body integrator REBOUND, selecting astrophysical models from constrained parameter spaces that are likely to exhibit KL dynamics. To assess detectability, we employ tools such as EccentricFD to model GW signals from these eccentric binaries, varying mass ratios and eccentricities across detectors, including LIGO, LISA, and LGWA. Our results highlight the influence of general relativistic corrections at 1PN order on the suppression or modulation of KL cycles and suggest the existence of an additional dynamical constraint governing HTS stability. We find that GW signals from such systems are within the sensitivity range of both current and future detectors. This study underscores the role of three-body dynamics in shaping GW observables and provides a foundation for the development of waveform templates for eccentric sources.