Statistical-Uncertainty-Driven Selection of Evaluation Frequency for Time-Dependent Sensing Calibration: A Demonstration with KAGRA Data

Abstract

Accurate calibration of the gravitational-wave strain h(t) is essential for both detection and astrophysical inference. In operating detectors, slow temporal variations in the sensing response are tracked using calibration lines, but practical constraints can prevent those lines from being injected at frequencies that are favorable for precise estimation of sensing-side parameters. We present a statistical framework for preselecting evaluation frequencies under such constraints. We apply this framework to KAGRA data from the first part of the fourth LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Observing Run, for which the nominal cavity-pole frequency was about 18 Hz, while the sensing-side calibration line used in practice was injected at 32.7 Hz. For each candidate evaluation frequency, we construct the sensing function, quantify its segment-wise statistical uncertainty from empirical percentiles of the sample distribution, and rank the candidates using a score that combines the interval widths of the amplitude and phase. When a 1% amplitude interval width and a 1 degree phase interval width are weighted equally, 244 Hz is selected in all 4096 s analysis segments throughout the analyzed period. Relative to the reference frequency of 32.7 Hz, the amplitude interval width is reduced to about one quarter over a broad frequency range, while the phase interval width remains broadly comparable. We also assess the discrepancy introduced by frequency translation separately. These results suggest that the proposed method provides a useful statistical preselection framework for evaluation frequencies under practical operational constraints.