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Observational Limit on Gravitational Waves from Binary Neutron Stars in the Galaxy

B. Allen·J. K. Blackburn·P. R. Brady·J. D. E. Creighton·T. Creighton·S. Droz·A. D. Gillespie·S. A. Hughes·S. Kawamura·T. T. Lyons·J. E. Mason·B. J. Owen·F. J. Raab·M. W. Regehr·B. S. Sathyaprakash·R. L. Savage, Jr.·S. Whitcomb·A. G. Wiseman
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Abstract

Using optimal matched filtering, we search 25 hours of data from the LIGO 40-meter prototype laser interferometric gravitational-wave detector for gravitational-wave chirps emitted by coalescing binary systems within our Galaxy. This is the first test of this filtering technique on real interferometric data. An upper limit on the rate R of neutron star binary inspirals in our Galaxy is obtained: with 90% confidence, R< 0.5/hour. Similar experiments with LIGO interferometers will provide constraints on the population of tight binary neutron star systems in the Universe.

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B. Allen, J. K. Blackburn, P. R. Brady, J. D. E. Creighton, T. Creighton, S. Droz, A. D. Gillespie, S. A. Hughes, S. Kawamura, T. T. Lyons, J. E. Mason, B. J. Owen, F. J. Raab, M. W. Regehr, B. S. Sathyaprakash, R. L. Savage, Jr., S. Whitcomb, A. G. Wiseman. 1999-09-07. Observational Limit on Gravitational Waves from Binary Neutron Stars in the Galaxy. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.83.1498

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