arXiv subjects

Pia Astone

Publications and source records attributed to Pia Astone.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Search for Long-Transient Gravitational Waves from Supernova SN2023ixf using GFH-v2 Pipeline

We present a directed search for long-transient gravitational waves from the possible newborn magnetar remnant of SN2023ixf, a nearby Type II core-collapse supernova in the M101 galaxy. The analysis uses LIGO Hanford and Livingston data from Engineering Run 15, using coincident data lying within the on-source window associated with the supernova. We target signals from a rapidly rotating, non-axisymmetric neutron star whose spin-down is dominated by gravitational-wave emission, producing a power-law decrease in frequency and a corresponding decrease in strain amplitude. The search is performed with the GFH-v2 pipeline, based on the Generalized Frequency Hough transform. No candidate survives the coincidence and follow-up analysis. We therefore set upper limits on the maximum detectable distance as a function of initial frequency and ellipticity. For the highest ellipticity interval, the 90% upper limits reach distances of about 1-2.5~Mpc across most of the analysed band. Although these limits are below the distance to M101, the search provides the first application of GFH-v2 to a nearby core-collapse supernova and characterizes its performance on real detector data.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

Alternative neural-network follow-up for all-sky FrequencyHough in continuous gravitational-wave searches

Continuous gravitational waves are long-lived signals emitted by spinning neutron stars (NSs) or boson clouds around black holes. While the Milky Way is expected to host $\mathrm{O}(10^{8}-10^{9})$ NSs, only $\mathrm{O}(10^{3})$ are currently identified through electromagnetic observations. This large observational gap motivates searches based on alternative messengers. In particular, all-sky searches for continuous gravitational waves (GWs) offer a unique opportunity to detect NSs that are electromagnetically silent or otherwise undiscovered. By exploring a broad region of parameter space without any a priori source information, these searches can probe the vast hidden NS population of our Galaxy. In this work, we present a novel way to include a Neural Network (NN) classifier into an all-sky search strategy for isolated NSs. Starting from candidates produced by the FrequencyHough pipeline running on data from ground-based detectors such as LIGO and Virgo, the proposed method improves sensitivity without increasing computational cost and can be parallelized across multiple detectors to enhance detection probability and reduce false alarms. We analyze data from the third observing run (O3) --- April 1, 2019 to March 27, 2020 --- and focus on the frequency range [129, 229] Hz and spin-down interval [$-2.5\cdot10^{-9}, 1.0\cdot10^{-9}$] Hz/s. The model is trained on noise constructed to be statistically consistent with real O3 data and tested on real O3 data. Results show robust performance in distinguishing signal from noise, even at low strain, and successful identification of hardware injections outside the training spin-down range.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Impact of coalescence signals on the search for continuous gravitational waves with Einstein Telescope

The current network of gravitational wave detectors has already revealed hundreds of compact binary coalescences (CBCs), including binary neutron stars, binary black holes, and black hole-neutron star systems. As detector sensitivity improves, the superposition of these signals is expected to form an astrophysical background that becomes increasingly relevant for future observatories. In third generation detectors, such as the Einstein Telescope (ET), this background will be most prominent at low frequencies, potentially affecting the search for continuous gravitational waves (CWs) from spinning neutron stars. In this work, we evaluate the impact of the CBC background on CW detection using the Frequency-Hough pipeline, with a focus on the low-frequency performance in ET sensitivity conditions. Through realistic simulations of the unresolved CBC background, we find that it acts as an additional noise source, most strongly affecting the detection of CW signals around 7 Hz, worsening the FH sensitivity by about 7-10%.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

GFH-v2 Pipeline for Searches of Long-Transient Gravitational Waves from Newborn Magnetars

This paper presents an enhanced methodology for searching long transient gravitational waves associated with a newborn magnetar, with particular focus on the regime in which the early spin-down is dominated by gravitational-wave emission. The analysis is performed using a strongly improved version of the generalized Frequency Hough Transform algorithm, called GFH-v2. We describe the main developments introduced relative to the original implementation and outline the optimized parameter-space selection used in the search. We then compute the theoretical sensitivity of the method and compare it with an empirical sensitivity estimate obtained by injecting simulated signals into LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA O4a data. The updated framework achieves improved sensitivity and computational performance. These results provide a robust basis for future directed searches for long-transient gravitational-wave signals from core-collapse supernovae and other transient events in current and upcoming observing runs.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

Investigating all-sky Frequency Hough performances for neutron stars

Between the estimated population of Neutron Stars (NSs) and the actual number present in the catalogs, there is a huge gap: O(10$^{8-9}$) vs O(10$^3$). Among the different search techniques for Continuous gravitational waves (CWs), the all-sky could help to reduce the discrepancy. We focus on the all-sky CW pipeline Frequency Hough (FH), which operates without prior knowledge of the source parameters ($f,\dot{f}, \lambda, \beta$). Here, we present a Machine Learning strategy, diverging from the standard follow-up(FU) of the FH pipeline. We study the performance with real interferometer data, until reaching $h$ value subthreshold for the standard FU procedure ($CR_{thr}=5$), with encouraging classification results.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

A semi-coherent search for optical pulsations from Scorpius X-1

The emission of continuous gravitational waves (CWs) possibly explains why pulsars spinning with a period shorter than a millisecond have not been observed so far. Neutron stars accreting mass at the highest rates are the most promising targets for a search for CWs, because a strong emission of gravitational waves is required to balance the torque exerted by mass accretion onto the neutron star. Detecting coherent pulsations in the electromagnetic emission maximizes the search sensitivity, but has so far not been successful for most of the brightest accreting neutron stars. Here, we present the first search for pulsations in the optical band from the brightest accreting neutron star known, Sco X-1. To this end, we tailored semi-coherent search strategies to data obtained over four years, for a total of $\sim$$56$ ks, by the SiFAP2 fast photometer mounted at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG). These searches are especially suited to analysing long observations of systems for which only limited knowledge on the orbital parameters is available, and involve joining coherent analyses on shorter segments without connecting the spin phase between them. The large count rates afforded by an optical telescope and the efficiency of the search strategy employed allowed us to set an upper limit of $9 \times 10^{-5}$ to the pulsed amplitude, which is lower by a factor of four with respect to previous searches in the X-ray band. We also show that the application of semi-coherent searches to SiFAP2 observations of the first detected optical millisecond pulsar, PSR J1023+0038, could have preceded its detection in the radio band. These results highlight the role played by high-time-resolution optical observations in performing deep searches of quickly rotating pulsars.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Harnessing the potential of PyStoch: detecting continuous gravitational waves from interesting supernova remnant targets

Detecting continuous gravitational waves (CWs) is challenging due to their weak amplitude and high computational demands, especially with poorly constrained source parameters. Stochastic gravitational-wave background (SGWB) searches using cross-correlation techniques can identify unresolved astrophysical sources, including CWs, at lower computational cost, albeit with reduced sensitivity. This motivates a hybrid approach where SGWB algorithms act as a first-pass filter to identify CW candidates for follow-up with dedicated CW pipelines. We evaluated the discovery potential of the SGWB analysis tool PyStoch for detecting CWs, using simulated signals from spinning down NSs. We then applied the method to data from the third LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observing run (O3), covering the (20-1726) Hz frequency band, and targeting four supernova remnants: Vela Jr., G347.3-0.5, Cassiopeia A, and the NS associated with the 1987A supernova remnant. If necessary, significant candidates are followed up using the 5-vector Resampling and Band-Sampled Data Frequency-Hough techniques. However, since no interesting candidates were identified in the real O3 analysis, we set 95\% confidence-level upper limits on the CW strain amplitude $h_0$. The most stringent limit was obtained for Cassiopeia A, and is $h_0 = 1.13 \times 10^{-25}$ at $201.57$ Hz with a frequency resolution of $1/32$ Hz. As for the other targets, the best upper limits have been set with the same frequency resolution, and correspond to $h_0 = 1.20 \times 10^{-25} $ at $202.16$ Hz for G347.3-0.5, $1.20 \times 10^{-25}$ at $217.81$ Hz for Vela Jr., and $1.47 \times 10^{-25}$ at $186.41$ Hz for the NS in the 1987A supernova remnant.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

A directed continuous-wave search from neutron stars in binary systems with the five-vector resampling technique

Continuous gravitational-wave signals (CWs), which are typically emitted by rapidly rotating neutron stars with non-axisymmetric deformations, represent particularly intriguing targets for the Advanced LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA detectors. These detectors operate within sensitivity bands that encompass more than half of the known pulsars in our galaxy existing in binary systems, which are the targeted sources of this paper. However, the detection of these faint signals is especially challenged by the Doppler modulation due to the source's orbital motion, typically described by five Keplerian parameters, which must be determined with high precision to effectively detect the signal. This modulation spreads the signal across multiple frequency bins, resulting in a notable reduction of signal-to-noise ratio and potentially hindering signal detection. To overcome this issue, a robust five-vector resampling data-analysis algorithm has been developed to conduct thorough directed/narrowband CW searches at an affordable computational cost. We employ this methodology for the first time to search for CWs from Scorpius X-1, using publicly available data from the third observing run of the Advanced LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA detectors. No statistically significant CW signals can be claimed. Hence, we proceeded setting 95% confidence-level upper limits in selected frequency bands and orbital parameter ranges, while also evaluating overall sensitivity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

A directed continuous-wave search from Scorpius X-1 with the five-vector resampling technique

Continuous gravitational-wave signals (CWs), which are typically emitted by rapidly rotating neutron stars with non-axisymmetric deformations, represent particularly intriguing targets for the Advanced LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA detectors. These detectors operate within sensitivity bands that encompass more than half of the known pulsars in our galaxy existing in binary systems (i.e., over 417 pulsars), which are the targeted sources of this paper. However, the detection of these faint signals is especially challenged by the Doppler modulation due to the source's orbital motion, typically described by five Keplerian parameters, which must be determined with high precision to effectively detect the signal. This modulation spreads the signal across multiple frequency bins, resulting in a notable reduction of signal-to-noise ratio and potentially hindering signal detection. To overcome this issue, a robust five-vector resampling data-analysis algorithm has been developed to conduct thorough directed/narrowband CW searches at an affordable computational cost. We employ this methodology for the first time to search for CWs from Scorpius X-1, using publicly available data from the third observing run of the Advanced LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA detectors. No statistically significant CW signals can be claimed. Hence, we proceeded setting 95% confidence-level upper limits in selected frequency bands and orbital parameter ranges, while also evaluating overall sensitivity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Search for continuous gravitational wave signals from luminous dark photon superradiance clouds with LVK O3 observations

Superradiance clouds of kinetically-mixed dark photons around spinning black holes can produce observable multi-messenger electromagnetic and gravitational wave signals. The cloud generates electric fields of up to a Teravolt-per-meter, which lead to a cascade production of charged particles, yielding a turbulent quasi-equilibrium plasma around the black hole, and resulting in electromagnetic fluxes ranging from supernova to pulsar-like luminosities. For stellar mass black holes, such systems resemble millisecond pulsars and are expected to emit pulsating radio waves and continuous gravitational waves (CWs) within the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) sensitivity band. We select 44 sources with approximately coincident frequencies or positive frequency drifts from existing pulsar catalogs as potential candidates of long-lasting superradiance clouds around old galactic black holes. For a subset of 34 sources that are well measured and have not been previously targeted, we perform the first search for CW emission in LVK data from the third observing run. We find no evidence of a CW signal and place 95% confidence level upper limits on the emitted strain amplitude. We interpret these results, together with limits from previous searches, in terms of the underlying dark photon theory by performing an analysis of the expected signals from superradiance clouds from galactic black holes. We find that, even for moderately spinning black holes, the absence of an observed CW signal disfavors a discrete set of dark photon masses between about $10^{-13}$ $\rm{eV}/c^2$ and $10^{-12}$ $\rm{eV}/c^2$ and kinetic mixing couplings in the range of $10^{-9}$-$10^{-7}$, subject to assumptions about the properties of the black hole population and the cloud's electromagnetic emission.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Doppler correlation-driven vetoes for the Frequency Hough analysis in continuous gravitational-wave searches

We present an improved method for vetoing candidates of continuous gravitational-wave sources during all-sky searches utilizing the Frequency Hough pipeline. This approach leverages linear correlations between source parameters induced by the Earth Doppler effect, which can be effectively identified through the Hough Transform. Candidates that do not align with these patterns are considered spurious and can thus be vetoed, enhancing the depth and statistical significance of follow-up analyses. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive explanation of the method calibration, which intrinsically linked to the total duration of the observing run. On average, the procedure successfully vetoes $56\%$ of candidates. To assess the method performance, we conducted a Monte-Carlo simulation injecting fake continuous-wave signals into data from the third observing run of the LIGO detectors. This analysis allowed us to infer strain amplitude upper limits at a $90\%$ confidence level. We found that the optimal sensitivity is $h_0^{90\%} = 3.62^{+0.23}_{-0.22}\times 10^{-26}$ in the [128, 200] Hz band, which is within the most sensible frequency band of the LIGO detectors.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Method to search for inspiraling planetary-mass ultra-compact binaries using the generalized frequency-Hough transform in LIGO O3a data

Gravitational waves from sub-solar mass primordial black holes could be detected in LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA data. Here, we apply a method originally designed to look for rapidly spinning-down neutron stars, the generalized frequency-Hough transform, to search for planetary-mass primordial black holes using data from the first half of the third observing run of advanced LIGO. In this companion paper to arXiv:2402.19468, in which the main results of our search are presented, we delve into the details of the search methodology, the choices we have made regarding the parameter space to explore, the follow-up procedure we use to confirm or reject possible candidates returned in our search, and a comparison of our analytic procedure of generating upper limits to those obtained through injections.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

Neural network method to search for long transient gravitational waves

We present a new method to search for long transient gravitational waves signals, like those expected from fast spinning newborn magnetars, in interferometric detector data. Standard search techniques are computationally unfeasible (matched filtering) or very demanding (sub-optimal semi-coherent methods). We explored a different approach by means of machine learning paradigms, to define a fast and inexpensive procedure. We used convolutional neural networks to develop a classifier that is able to discriminate between the presence or the absence of a signal. To complement the classification and enhance its effectiveness, we also developed a denoiser. We studied the performance of both networks with simulated colored noise, according to the design noise curve of LIGO interferometers. We show that the combination of the two models is crucial to increase the chance of detection. Indeed, as we decreased the signal initial amplitude (from $10^{-22}$ down to $10^{-23}$) the classification task became more difficult. In particular, we could not correctly tag signals with an initial amplitude of $2 \times 10^{-23}$ without using the denoiser. By studying the performance of the combined networks, we found a good compromise between the search false alarm rate (2$\%$) and efficiency (90$\%$) for a single interferometer. In addition, we demonstrated that our method is robust with respect to changes in the power law describing the time evolution of the signal frequency. Our results highlight the computationally low cost of this method to generate triggers for long transient signals. The study carried out in this work lays the foundations for further improvements, with the purpose of developing a pipeline able to perform systematic searches of long transient signals.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

New semicoherent targeted search for continuous gravitational waves from pulsars in binary systems

We present a novel semicoherent targeted search method for continuous gravitational waves (CWs) emitted by pulsars in binary systems. The method is based on a custom optimization of the coherence time, which is tailored according to the orbital parameters and their uncertainties, as provided by electromagnetic observations. While rotating pulsars are expected to produce quasimonochromatic CWs in their reference frame, their orbital motion introduces additional modulation in the observer's frame, alongside the modulation caused by the Earth's motion. As a result, the received signal is spread across a frequency range, and demodulation techniques must be used to improve sensitivity. However, Doppler corrections can, in some cases, vary significantly within the uncertainties of the orbital parameters, potentially lowering the detection chances of single-template, fully coherent searches. To exploit the constraints derived from electromagnetic observations, we implement a semicoherent search that is more robust than other methods. In this approach, the coherence time is evaluated for each source, taking into account the uncertainties in its orbital parameters. This method was tested and applied to a set of thirteen targets from the ATNF catalog. The search identified one outlier, whose astrophysical origin has been confidently excluded. For the first time to our knowledge, we then set upper limits on the signal strain from these 12 pulsars, with the lowest limit being $h_{UL}\sim9.01\times 10^{-26}$ for PSR~J1326-4728B.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Gravitational wave constraints on planetary-mass primordial black holes using LIGO O3a data

Gravitational waves from sub-solar mass inspiraling compact objects would provide almost smoking-gun evidence for primordial black holes (PBHs). We perform the first search for inspiraling planetary-mass compact objects in equal-mass and highly asymmetric mass-ratio binaries using data from the first half of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA third observing run. Though we do not find any significant candidates, we determine the maximum luminosity distance reachable with our search to be of $O(0.1-100)$ kpc, and corresponding model-independent upper limits on the merger rate densities to be $O(10^{3}-10^{-7})$ kpc$^{-3}$yr$^{-1}$ for systems with chirp masses of $O(10^{-4}-10^{-2})M_\odot$, respectively. Furthermore, we interpret these rate densities as arising from PBH binaries and constrain the fraction of dark matter that such objects could comprise. For equal-mass PBH binaries, we find that these objects would compose less than 4-100% of DM for PBH masses of $10^{-2}M_\odot$ to $2\times 10^{-3}M_\odot$, respectively. For asymmetric binaries, assuming one black hole mass corresponds to a peak in the mass function at 2.5$M_\odot$, a PBH dark-matter fraction of 10% and a second, much lighter PBH, we constrain the mass function of the second PBH to be less than 1 for masses between $1.5\times 10^{-5}M_\odot$ and $2\times 10^{-4}M_\odot$. Our constraints, released on Zenodo, are robust enough to be applied to any PBH or exotic compact object binary formation models, and complement existence microlensing results. More details about our search can be found in our companion paper.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Impact of signal clusters in wide-band searches for continuous gravitational waves

In this paper we present a study of some relevant steps of the hierarchical frequency-Hough (FH) pipeline, used within the LIGO and Virgo Collaborations for wide-parameter space searches of continuous gravitational waves (CWs) emitted, for instance, by spinning neutron stars (NSs). Because of their weak expected amplitudes, CWs have not been still detected so far. These steps, namely the spectral estimation, the {\it peakmap} construction and the procedure to select candidates in the FH plane, are critical as they contribute to determine the final search sensitivity. Here, we are interested in investigating their behavior in the (presently quite) extreme case of signal clusters, due to many and strong CW sources, emitting gravitational waves (GWs) within a small (i.e. <1 Hz wide) frequency range. This could happen for some kinds of CW sources detectable by next generation detectors, like LISA, Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer. Moreover, this possibility has been recently raised even for current Earth-based detectors, in some scenarios of CW emission from ultralight boson clouds around stellar mass black holes (BHs). We quantitatively evaluate the robustness of the FH analysis procedure, designed to minimize the loss of single CW signals, under the unusual situation of signal clusters. Results depend mainly on how strong in amplitude and dense in frequency the signals are, and on the range of frequency they cover. We show that indeed a small sensitivity loss may happen in presence of a very high mean signal density affecting a frequency range of the order of one Hertz, while when the signal cluster covers a frequency range of one tenth of Hertz, or less, we may actually have a sensitivity gain. Overall, we demonstrate the FH to be robust even in presence of moderate-to-large signal clusters.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Studio di un urto anelastico: una proposta per le Scuole Secondarie di II grado nell'ambito del progetto "Lab2Go"

When a free falling ping-pong ball collides on a horizontal surface, it loses kinetic energy. The ratio between the height reached by the ball after the collision and the initial height is called restitution coefficient. A method to measure it by using a home-made cathetometer was proposed during the Olimpiadi di Fisica 2018. In this paper we show how to measure it also by using the PhyPhox app and Arduino board.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2021

Il progetto Lab2Go per la diffusione della pratica laboratoriale nelle Scuole Secondarie di II grado

Even if laboratory practice is essential for all scientific branches of knowledge, it is often neglected at High School, due to lack of time and/or resources. To establish a closer contact between school and experimental sciences, the University Sapienza of Roma and the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) launched the Lab2Go project, with the goal of spreading laboratory practice among students and teachers in high schools.

physics.ed-ph↗