arXiv subjects

Peter Shawhan

Publications and source records attributed to Peter Shawhan.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

The Transient Gravitational-Wave Sky

Interferometric detectors will very soon give us an unprecedented view of the gravitational-wave sky, and in particular of the explosive and transient Universe. Now is the time to challenge our theoretical understanding of short-duration gravitational-wave signatures from cataclysmic events, their connection to more traditional electromagnetic and particle astrophysics, and the data analysis techniques that will make the observations a reality. This paper summarizes the state of the art, future science opportunities, and current challenges in understanding gravitational-wave transients.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2011

A hierarchical method for vetoing noise transients in gravitational-wave detectors

Non-Gaussian noise transients in interferometric gravitational-wave detectors increase the background in searches for short-duration and un-modelled signals. We describe a method for vetoing noise transients by ranking the statistical relationship between triggers in auxiliary channels that have negligible sensitivity to gravitational waves and putative gravitational-wave triggers in the detector output. The novelty of the algorithm lies in its hierarchical approach, which leads to a minimal set of veto conditions with high performance and low deadtime. After a given channel has been selected it is used to veto triggers from the detector output, then the algorithm selects a new channel that performs well on the remaining triggers and the process is repeated. This method has been demonstrated to reduce the background in searches for transient gravitational waves by the LIGO and Virgo collaborations.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

LOOC UP: Locating and observing optical counterparts to gravitational wave bursts

Gravitational wave (GW) bursts (short duration signals) are expected to be associated with highly energetic astrophysical processes. With such high energies present, it is likely these astrophysical events will have signatures in the EM spectrum as well as in gravitational radiation. We have initiated a program, "Locating and Observing Optical Counterparts to Unmodeled Pulses in Gravitational Waves" (LOOC UP) to promptly search for counterparts to GW burst candidates. The proposed method analyzes near real-time data from the LIGO-Virgo network, and then uses a telescope network to seek optical-transient counterparts to candidate GW signals. We carried out a pilot study using S5/VSR1 data from the LIGO-Virgo network to develop methods and software tools for such a search. We will present the method, with an emphasis on the potential for such a search to be carried out during the next science run of LIGO and Virgo, expected to begin in 2009.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Searching for Gravitational Waves from Binary Inspirals with LIGO

We describe the current status of the search for gravitational waves from inspiralling compact binary systems in LIGO data. We review the result from the first scientific run of LIGO (S1). We present the goals of the search of data taken in the second scientific run (S2) and describe the differences between the methods used in S1 and S2.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2004

A New Waveform Consistency Test for Gravitational Wave Inspiral Searches

Searches for binary inspiral signals in data collected by interferometric gravitational wave detectors utilize matched filtering techniques. Although matched filtering is optimal in the case of stationary Gaussian noise, data from real detectors often contains "glitches" and episodes of excess noise which cause filter outputs to ring strongly. We review the standard χ^2 statistic which is used to test whether the filter output has appropriate contributions from several different frequency bands. We then propose a new type of waveform consistency test which is based on the time history of the filter output. We apply one such test to the data from the first LIGO science run and show that it cleanly distinguishes between true inspiral waveforms and large-amplitude false signals which managed to pass the standard χ^2 test.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2004

Vetoes for Inspiral Triggers in LIGO Data

Presented is a summary of studies by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration's Inspiral Analysis Group on the development of possible vetoes to be used in evaluation of data from the first two LIGO science data runs. Numerous environmental monitor signals and interferometer control channels have been analyzed in order to characterize the interferometers' performance. The results of studies on selected data segments are provided in this paper. The vetoes used in the compact binary inspiral analyses of LIGO's S1 and S2 science data runs are presented and discussed.

gr-qc↗