Astronomical Catalogs for Locating Gravitational-Wave Events

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Abstract:: Gravitational wave transients are caused by some of the most energetic events in the Universe, and a precise location would allow deep examination of the counterpart by electromagnetic waves (telescopes collecting light), the combination of GW and EM resulting in very much improved science return. Since the GW detectors do not provide good localization on the sky, the faint counterpart will be very difficult to find. One strategy to help the search is to look first at galaxies, where mass is concentrated, and thus the prior probability of GW events is highest. This project uses the latest and most comprehensive galaxy catalogs, as well as catalogs of galaxy clusters and catalogs of X-ray sources, using these to provide an interactive web-based tool for astronomers to decide where to look first.

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LIGO Document T1600157-v2