SearcharxivSearch

arXiv subjects

Jan Harms

Publications and source records attributed to Jan Harms.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Correlated and coincident noise in Einstein Telescope's triangular configuration

The Einstein Telescope (ET) is a proposed underground infrastructure in Europe to host future generations of gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. Two configurations are under investigation. The first is the two-site solution with an L-shape detector at each site similar to the LIGO configuration. The second configuration is the single-site triangular detector. While numerous analyses over the last decade have already proven that the distributed network of GW detectors is the scientifically preferred solution, it was also argued that the advantage might not be decisive enough to dismiss ET's triangle configuration. The modeling of aspects such as noise correlations in these configurations has only been treated superficially in the past. In this article, we introduce a time-domain simulation of environmental noises in the ET triangle using available data from ET's candidate sites. We simulate and analyze correlated environmental noise as well as coincident glitches produced by transients in the environmental fields. We find that these features pose an important limitation to the observational capabilities of the ET triangle and limit the utility of its null stream.

gr-qc

Correlation-based Modeling of Seismic Newtonian Noise in Half-Space and Full-Space Media

Seismic Newtonian noise, arising from fluctuating gravitational forces on detector test masses due to ambient seismic activity, represents a fundamental sensitivity limit for low-frequency gravitational-wave observatories such as the Einstein Telescope. Effective mitigation of Newtonian noise requires detailed knowledge of the statistical correlations between the Newtonian acceleration perturbation at the test mass and the seismic displacement field measured by surrounding sensor arrays. In this work, the gravitoelastic correlation tensors (the cross-correlations between the Newtonian acceleration perturbation and the seismic displacement field) are derived and numerically validated for Rayleigh waves and body waves in half-space and full-space media, considering test masses located above and below ground, with and without a spherical cavity. The analytical solutions provide exact and asymptotic benchmarks for validating a Cartesian numerical integration framework, which reproduces the corresponding gravitoelastic tensors across Rayleigh-wave and body-wave models, establishing a unified tool for Newtonian-noise modeling and sensor-array design in future gravitational-wave detectors.

gr-qc

Assessing the Impact of Instrumental Requirements on the Scientific Performance of the Einstein Telescope

We investigate the relationship between instrumental requirements and the scientific performance of the Einstein Telescope (ET), a third-generation (3G) gravitational-wave (GW) observatory. Different technical design choices result in distinct noise budgets, ultimately shaping the detector's scientific capabilities. To systematically assess and compare their impact, we define a comprehensive set of performance metrics spanning compact binary coalescence (CBC) detection and parameter estimation, as well as other sources, including stochastic GW backgrounds, isolated spinning neutron stars, and core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe). We build a comparative reference framework that links degradations in specific noise contributions and frequency bands to losses in scientific capabilities. We consider a representative selection of technical parameters, such as coating and suspension temperatures, the filter cavity length in the low-frequency instrument, and the beam size in the high-frequency instrument. We evaluate how sensitivity variations across specific frequency bands affect different scientific objectives. We quantify how the sensitivity below 30 Hz impacts the detectability of massive and/or high-redshift sources and the reconstruction of long-duration CBC signals, affecting early warning and sky localization for binary neutron stars (BNSs). Sensitivity in the 30-450 Hz range governs most CBC parameter-estimation metrics, while high-frequency sensitivity above ~450 Hz predominantly impacts BNS post-merger studies and CCSN detectability, with modest effects on detection rates. Even with the most significant degradations considered, the ET science case remains robust overall. Our results provide a comprehensive benchmark linking scientific objectives to instrumental requirements, particularly important as the final design and infrastructure of 3G observatories are being defined.

astro-ph.IM

Cosmology beyond standard sirens: cross-correlation of gravitational waves and neutral hydrogen intensity mapping

We explore the potential of cross-correlation between gravitational wave (GW) events and neutral hydrogen (HI) intensity mapping surveys to serve as an independent cosmological probe. Focusing on the ET and the SKAO, and assuming that binary black hole mergers and HI emission are biased tracers of the underlying dark matter distribution, we use their angular auto- and cross-correlation spectra to constrain cosmological parameters. We test three different GW detector networks: ET alone, both in its $\Delta$ and 2L configuration, and ET-2L together with Cosmic Explorer. We show that the cross-correlation method, by naturally mitigating tracer-specific systematics, yields robust cosmological bounds, allowing for a sub-percent ($\sim 0.5\%$) precision on the Hubble constant $H_\mathrm{0}$. Furthermore, this approach robustly constrains the cosmic expansion history throughout the post-reionization era of the Universe and, unlike conventional standard sirens, simultaneously probes the large scale distribution of matter perturbations, achieving relative uncertainties of approximately 1.3% on the total matter density $\Omega_\mathrm{m}$ and 1.6% on the late-time clustering amplitude $\sigma_8$.

astro-ph.CO

The geometry of lunar gravitational wave detection

The Lunar Gravitational Wave Antenna (LGWA) is a planned gravitational wave detector on the Moon, targeting the deci-Hertz band and expected to deliver breakthrough discoveries across several science cases, including the Moon's interior structure and astrophysics. In this work, we show that adopting a frame comoving with the Solar System barycenter (SSB), but with its origin at a location that minimizes timing uncertainty, reduces the sampling time by an order of magnitude. We present a systematic post-processing procedure to identify the optimal origin within the Solar System for any given signal. We explore alternative timing parametrizations beyond the merger time, and find that they have only a minor impact on parameter uncertainties. Using the stellar-mass black hole binary GW250114 as a case study, we illustrate how these geometrical considerations translate into improved parameter constraints. Two minutes before its merger, the LGWA would have measured its chirp mass to a precision of 0.0002 solar masses (90% symmetric) and constrained its sky position to within 65 square degrees (90% HPD area); these constraints are tighter than those obtained by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) detectors, despite a lower signal-to-noise ratio. We connect our results to an analytical approximation proposed by Wen and Chen, which relates the area spanned by the orbital motion of a detector to its efficacy in constraining the sky position of a source. We verify its qualitative validity for compact binary sources with a series of injections, identifying the regimes in which its underlying assumptions break down. Our results demonstrate that inference for long-duration GW signals with the LGWA must be treated as a geometrical problem, in which detector motion, reference-frame choice, and signal evolution jointly determine both parameter constraints and computational efficiency.

gr-qc

Gravitational-wave Tomography of the Moon: Constraining Lunar Structure with Calibrated Gravitational Waves

The recent success of gravitational-wave (GW) astronomy together with renewed plans for lunar geophysical instrumentation has revived interest in using the Moon as a resonant detector for mid-frequency (mHz-Hz) GWs. In realistic observational scenarios, the GW strain amplitude is expected to be constrained independently by networks of GW detectors, which motivates an inverse, \emph{tomographic} question: to what extent can measurements of the Moon's seismic response to known GWs be used to infer its internal structure? In this work, we develop a first-principles, perturbative framework that maps spherically symmetric perturbations of the elastic and density structure to measurable changes in observables, especially GW-driven modal amplitudes of the Moon. The formalism combines (i) a normal-mode representation of the elastic response, (ii) first-order perturbation theory for eigenvalues and eigenfunctions, and (iii) a linearized observation model that links frequency and amplitude observables to model parameters (bulk and shear moduli, density, and interface locations) and their perturbations. We show that the estimation errors of the Moon's elastic parameters can be reduced by about an order of magnitude with observations of calibrated GWs.

astro-ph.EP

Radio sirens: inferring $H_0$ with binary black holes and neutral hydrogen in the era of the Einstein Telescope and the SKA Observatory

A new synergy between gravitational waves (GWs) and the study of the large-scale structure of the Universe is now emerging. Along this line of research, we combine simulated observations of stellar-origin black hole mergers and neutral hydrogen 21 cm line intensity mapping to probe the expansion rate of the Universe through the distance-redshift relation. GW signals from binary black holes provide direct distance information, while neutral hydrogen intensity maps offer a tomographic view of the large-scale structure of the Universe. Using the 3-dimensional density fields of hydrogen as a redshift prior for GW events, we explore a novel dark-sirens-like approach, here termed radio sirens, to measure the late-time expansion history of the Universe. We study the performance of the next-generation GW observatories, such as the Einstein Telescope, to ensure enough statistics and access to high-redshift data. On the other hand, future spectroscopic intensity mapping surveys with the SKA-Mid telescope are expected to trace the underlying dark matter distribution at large scales up to redshift $z\sim 3$. This combined methodology allows us to constrain the Hubble constant to $\sim 8\%$ precision, using around 3,000 GW events with signal-to-noise ratios greater than 150. This corresponds to an improvement of around $90\%$ compared to not considering the information from the neutral hydrogen maps.

astro-ph.CO

Seismic background mitigation with the Lunar Gravitational-wave Antenna

Lunar gravitational-wave (GW) detectors relying on the measurement of the response of the Moon to GWs are susceptible to a seismic background, which might pose a fundamental sensitivity limitation. The Lunar Gravitational-wave Antenna (LGWA) was conceived as an array of accelerometers with the idea that data can be processed to distinguish between a GW signal and the seismic background. As a result, the seismic noise of the GW measurement would be mitigated. However, so far, no quantitative assessment of the mitigation of the seismic background has been provided. In this article, we derive the analytical expressions for the optimal squared signal-to-noise ratio considering two seismic stations in an isotropic, random, Gaussian seismic field. Our numerical analysis reveals that the capacity to mitigate the seismic noise critically depends on the distance between the two stations relative to the seismic-correlation length. We demonstrate that optimal placement of the two stations can yield significant improvements in the equivalent seismic noise amplitude spectrum density (ASD), approximately a factor of 2.3 at 0.3 Hz, compared to the measurement with a single station. The equivalent ASD of the seismic noise also exhibits distinct oscillatory and mitigation features arising from the Bessel-function structure of the noise correlation.

astro-ph.IM

deci-Hz Gravitational Wave Observations on the Moon and Beyond

This document summarizes talks and discussions from the workshop "deci-Hz Gravitational Wave Observations on the Moon and Beyond" that took place at Johns Hopkins University between September 1 and September 3, 2025. The workshop focused on experimental proposals to observe gravitational waves in the deci-Hz band, including lunar detectors, laser interferometers in space, and atom interferometry; gravitational wave sources in the deci-Hz frequency band; and the multi-messenger and multi-band astronomy that would be enabled by these observations.

gr-qc

Comparing next-generation detector configurations for high-redshift gravitational wave sources with neural posterior estimation

The coming decade will be crucial for determining the final design and configuration of a global network of next-generation (XG) gravitational-wave detectors, including the Einstein Telescope (ET) and Cosmic Explorer (CE). In this study, and for the first time, we assessed the performance of various network configurations using neural posterior estimation (NPE) implemented in Dingo-IS-a method based on normalizing flows and importance sampling that enables fast and accurate inference. We focused on a specific science case involving short-duration, massive and high-redshift binary black hole mergers with detector-frame chirp masses $> 100~\mathrm{M}_\odot$. These systems encompass early-Universe stellar and primordial black holes, as well as intermediate-mass black hole binaries, for which XG observatories are expected to deliver major discoveries. Validation against standard Bayesian inference demonstrates that NPE robustly reproduces complex and disconnected posterior structures across all network configurations. For a network of two misaligned L-shaped ET detectors (2L MisA), the posterior distributions on luminosity distance can become multimodal and degenerate with the sky position, leading to less precise distance estimates compared to the triangular ET configuration. However, the number of sky-location multimodalities is substantially lower than the eight expected with the triangular ET, resulting in improved sky and volume localization. Adding CE to the network further reduces sky-position degeneracies, and the better performance of the 2L MisA configuration over the triangle remains evident.

gr-qc

ESO Expanding Horizon White Paper: Revealing the properties of matter at supranuclear densities with gravitational waves

Understanding dense matter under extreme conditions is one of the most fundamental puzzles in modern physics. Complex interactions give rise to emergent, collective phenomena. While nuclear experiments and Earth - based colliders provide valuable insights, much of the quantum chromodynamics phase diagram at high density and low temperature remains accessible only through astrophysical observations of neutron stars, neutron star mergers, and stellar collapse. Astronomical observations thus offer a direct window to the physics on subatomic scales with gravitational waves presenting an especially clean channel. Next-generation gravitational - wave observatories, such as the Einstein Telescope, would serve as unparalleled instruments to transform our understanding of neutron star matter. They will enable the detection of up to tens of thousands of binary neutron star and neutron star - black hole mergers per year, a dramatic increase over the few events accessible with current detectors. They will provide an unprecedented precision in probing cold, dense matter during the binary inspiral, exceeding by at least an order of magnitude what current facilities can achieve. Moreover, these observatories will allow us to explore uncharted regimes of dense matter at finite temperatures produced in a subset of neutron star mergers, areas that remain entirely inaccessible to current instruments. Together with multimessenger observations, these measurements will significantly deepen our knowledge of dense nuclear matter.

astro-ph.IM

Gravitational-wave parameter estimation to the Moon and back: massive binaries and the case of GW231123

We study the prospects of the Lunar Gravitational-Wave Antenna (LGWA), a proposed deci-Hz GW detector, to observe binary black holes (BBHs) and enable multiband science with ground-based detectors. We assess the detectability of the events observed by current instruments up to the GWTC-4.0 data release, and of simulated populations consistent with the latest reconstruction by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration. We find that LGWA alone would have been able to observe more than one third of the events detected so far, and that it could detect $\sim\!90$ events merging in the ground-based band per year out to redshifts $z\sim3-5$. Current detectors at design sensitivity and 100% duty cycle could detect thousands of BBHs per year, with one to a few hundred multiband counterparts in LGWA. Third-generation (3G) detectors can observe most of the BBHs detected by LGWA merging in their frequency band in the simulated mass range $7\,{\rm M}_\odot\lesssim M_{\rm tot}\lesssim 600\,{\rm M}_\odot$, enabling systematic joint analyses of hundreds of events. The short time to merger from the deci-Hz band to the Hz-kHz band (typically months to a year) allows for early warning, targeted follow-up, and archival searches. Multiband observations of intermediate-mass BBHs in the deci-Hz band are particularly promising. We perform an injection study for a GW231123-like system (the most massive BBH detection to date, which accumulates $\sim 10^5$ inspiral cycles in LGWA) and show that deci-Hz observations can measure the chirp mass even better than 3G instruments and yield good sky localization and inclination measurement, even with a single observatory. Opening the deci-Hz band would substantially improve the prospects of GW astronomy for intermediate-mass BBHs.

gr-qc

Black hole merger rates for LISA and LGWA from semi-analytical modelling of light seeds

With the upcoming space- and Moon-based gravitational-wave detectors, LISA and LGWA respectively, a new era of GW astronomy will begin with the possibility of detections of the mergers of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) and supermassive black holes (SMBHs). We generate populations of synthetic black hole (BH) binaries with masses ranging from the intermediate ($10^3-10^5 M_\odot$) to the supermassive regime ($>10^5 M_\odot$), formed from the dynamical processes of merging halos and their residing galaxies, assuming that each galaxy is initially seeded with a single black hole at its centre. The aim is to estimate the rate of these BH mergers which could be detected by LISA and LGWA. Using PINOCCHIO cosmological simulation and a semi-analytical model based on GAEA, we construct a population of merging BHs by implementing a "light" seeding scheme and calculating the merging timescales using the Chandrasekhar prescription. We provide upper and lower limits of dynamical friction timescale by varying the mass of the infalling object to create "pessimistic" and "optimistic" merger rates respectively. We find that for our synthetic population of MBHs, both LGWA and LISA are able to detect more than $15$ binary IMBH mergers per year in the optimistic case, while in the pessimistic case less than $\sim5$ detections would be possible considering the entire lifetime of the detectors. For SMBHs, the rates are slightly lower in both cases. Most mergers below $z\approx4$ are detected in the optimistic case, although mergers beyond $z=8$ are also detectable at a lower rate. We find that LGWA is better suited for high-SNR IMBH detections at higher redshift, while LISA is more sensitive to massive SMBHs. Joint observations will probe the full BH mass spectrum and constrain BH formation and seeding models.

astro-ph.CO

Improving cosmological reach of a gravitational wave observatory using Deep Loop Shaping

Improved low-frequency sensitivity of gravitational wave observatories would unlock study of intermediate-mass black hole mergers, binary black hole eccentricity, and provide early warnings for multi-messenger observations of binary neutron star mergers. Today's mirror stabilization control injects harmful noise, constituting a major obstacle to sensitivity improvements. We eliminated this noise through Deep Loop Shaping, a reinforcement learning method using frequency domain rewards. We proved our methodology on the LIGO Livingston Observatory (LLO). Our controller reduced control noise in the 10--30Hz band by over 30x, and up to 100x in sub-bands surpassing the design goal motivated by the quantum limit. These results highlight the potential of Deep Loop Shaping to improve current and future GW observatories, and more broadly instrumentation and control systems.

astro-ph.IM

Observing Double White Dwarfs with the Lunar GW Antenna

The Lunar Gravitational Wave Antenna (LGWA) is a proposed gravitational-wave detector that will observe in the decihertz (dHz) frequency region. In this band, binary white dwarf systems are expected to merge, emitting gravitational waves. Detecting this emission opens new perspectives for understanding the Type Ia supernova progenitors and for investigating dense matter physics. In this paper, we present the capabilities of LGWA to detect and localize short-period double white dwarfs in terms of sky locations and distances. The analysis employs realistic spatial distributions and merger rates, as well as binary-mass distributions informed by population-synthesis models. The simulated population of double white dwarfs is generated using the SeBa stellar-evolution code, coupled with dedicated sampling algorithms. The performance of the LGWA detector, both in terms of signal detectability and parameter estimation, is assessed using standard gravitational-wave data analysis techniques, including Fisher matrix methods, as implemented in the GWFish and Legwork codes. The analysis indicates that, over 10 years of observation, LGWA could detect approximately 30 monochromatic Galactic sources and 10 extragalactic mergers, demonstrating the unique potential of decihertz gravitational-wave detectors to access and characterize extragalactic DWD populations. This will open new avenues for understanding Type Ia supernova progenitors and the physics of DWDs.

gr-qc

GEMINI: The First Underground Testbed for Seismic Isolation and Interplatform Control in Next-Generation Gravitational-Wave Detectors

GEMINI is an underground research and development facility dedicated to advancing seismic isolation and control technologies for future gravitational-wave observatories, including the Einstein Telescope (ET) and the Lunar Gravitational-Wave Antenna (LGWA). This paper presents the technical design and theoretical framework of GEMINI's active seismic isolation platforms, including detailed noise budget analyses, performance predictions, and residual platform motion evaluations. The GEMINI platforms are designed to achieve unprecedented vibration isolation, targeting motion suppression across the 10 mHz to 10 Hz frequency band, and with the goal to make them the quietest platforms of their kind. In the context of ET, GEMINI will enable the development and validation of inter-platform control strategies essential for the stabilization of auxiliary degrees of freedom of its interferometers. GEMINI will also support the testing of cryogenic payloads and ultra-sensitive inertial sensors required for LGWA. By integrating advanced cryogenic systems, precision inertial sensors, and state-of-the-art vibration isolation technologies, GEMINI will serve as a versatile testbed for next-generation ground-based gravitational-wave detectors and lunar seismometry missions.

physics.ins-det

Direct Measurement of the Accretion Disk Formed in Prompt Collapse Mergers with Future Gravitational-Wave Observatories

The production site of heavy r-process elements, such as Gold and Uranium, is uncertain. Neutron star mergers are the only astrophysical phenomenon in which we have witnessed their formation. However, the amount of heavy elements resulting from the merger remains poorly constrained, mainly due to uncertainties on the mass and angular momentum of the disk formed in the merger remnant. Matter accretion from the disk is also thought to power gamma ray-bursts. We discover from numerical relativity simulations that the accretion disk influences the ringdown gravitational-wave signal produced by binaries that promptly collapse to black-hole at merger. We propose a method to \emph{directly} measure the mass of the accretion disk left during black hole formation in binary mergers using observatories such as the Einstein Telescope or Cosmic Explorer with a relative error of 10\% for binaries at a distance of up to 30~Mpc, corresponding to an event rate of 0.001 to 0.25 events per year.

gr-qc

Fast and accurate parameter estimation of high-redshift sources with the Einstein Telescope

The Einstein Telescope (ET), along with other third-generation gravitational wave (GW) detectors, will be a key instrument for detecting GWs in the coming decades. However, analyzing the data and estimating source parameters will be challenging, especially given the large number of expected detections-on the order of $10^5$ per year-which makes current methods based on stochastic sampling impractical. In this work, we use Dingo-IS to perform neural posterior estimation (NPE) of high-redshift events detectable with ET in its triangular configuration. NPE is a likelihood-free inference technique that leverages normalizing flows to approximate posterior distributions. After training, inference is fast, requiring only a few minutes per source, and accurate, as corrected through importance sampling and validated against standard Bayesian inference methods. To confirm previous findings on the ability to estimate parameters for high-redshift sources with ET, we compare NPE results with predictions from the Fisher information matrix (FIM) approximation. We find that NPE correctly recovers the eight degenerate sky modes induced by the triangular detector geometry, missed by the FIM analysis, resulting in an underestimation of sky localization uncertainties for most sources. FIM also overestimates the uncertainty in luminosity distance by a factor of $\sim 3$ on average when the injected luminosity distance is $d^{\mathrm{inj}}_{\mathrm{L}} > 10^5~$Mpc, further confirming that ET will be particularly well suited for studying the early Universe.

astro-ph.HE