LIGO Document T1900356-v1

Discovering the Underlying Distributions of Black Hole Populations

Document #:
LIGO-T1900356-v1
Document type:
T - Technical notes
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Abstract:
The LIGO and Virgo detectors have been observing the cosmos in search of gravitational waves (GW) since 2000. All three detectors were upgraded to Advanced versions, which for LIGO began observing in 2015 and for Virgo in 2017. In Advanced LIGO’s first (12 September 2015 to 19 January 2016) and second (30 November 2016 to 25 August 2017) observing runs (O1 and O2, respectively), the detectors found 10 GW signals from binary black hole (BBH) mergers, and 1 from a binary neutron star (BNS) merger, all with high significance, or low probability of being due to instrumental noise fluctuations. Already in the first several months of O3, which began in April 2019, dozens of candidates have been seen with such high significance. The two aforementioned categories, along with neutron star/black hole mergers (NSBH), are collectively known as compact binary coalescence (CBC). In the coming years, as the detectors’ sensitivities are improved, we expect to accumulate tens, hundreds, or thousands of CBC events. From such large samples, we expect to be able to infer the underlying population of CBC systems as a function of their masses, component black hole spins, and redshift. This, in turn, will allow us to better understand the astrophysical processes governing the formation, evolution, and final fate of such systems, as tracers of the most massive stars. In this project, we aim to develop tools and techniques to accomplish this through detailed simulation and Bayesian inference.
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Keywords:
SURF19
Notes and Changes:
Phoebe McClincy PSU SURF19 project material

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