Re-analyzing GWTC-3 events with a numerical relativity surrogate waveform model for precessing spin binary black holes

The third Gravitational-wave Transient Catalog (GWTC-3) presents a total of 90 signals detected by LIGO-Virgo Collaboration (LVC) up to the end of their third observing run. The source properties of most of the binary black holes (BBH) events have been inferred using either Numerical Relativity (NR) tuned phenomenological waveform models or NR tuned effective one-body (EOB) waveforms. We provide a re-analysis of these BBH events using a precessing numerical-relativity surrogate model, NRSur7dq4. This model is the most accurate waveform model when the analysis is restricted to the NRSur7dq4's training domain. Due to the shorter length of NRSur7dq4 waveforms, we however restrict our analysis only for a set of 47 events that have a total mass of greater than 60 solar mass in the detector frame and mass ratios smaller than 6. While for most of the events, inferred source properties using NRSur7dq4 matches with Phenom and EOB results, we do find a handful events where NRSur7dq4 model provides tighter constrained measurements of masses and spins of the black holes, and narrower sky localization. Furthermore, NRSur7dq4 systematically recovers higher signal-to-noise ratio when compared against other models. We finally discuss the astrophysical implication of our results.