Fully-Coherent Gravitational Wave Searches for Binary Neutron Star Mergers and Inferring Astrophysical Signal Probabilities

Abstract: Binary Neutron Star (BNS) Mergers are some of the most violent events in the universe which emit a range of astrophysical messengers and are expected to occur frequently, currently detectable via Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) on a weekly basis. These systems are an ideal target for multi-messenger astronomy due the combination of Gravitational Wave (GW) emission and a powerful jet formed upon coalescence, demonstrated by the observation of a BNS via GW 170817 and GRB 170817A, then followed up by a range of lower energy electromagnetic observations. Where these jets accelerate hadrons above TeV energies there should also be an observable astrophysical neutrino flux, presenting an opportunity for the first GW-neutrino correlations. I will discuss work to improve the efficiency of software pipeline searching for modelled GW signals from BNS mergers. In addition we apply methods to infer astrophysical probabilities for a catalog of triggered event times and for individual potential GW candidates. These probabilities could be crucial in focusing our energy to the most interest candidates for follow up and evaluating the presence of a population of BNS signals.

astrophysicsgeneral relativity and quantum cosmologyinstrumentation and detectors

Audience: researchers in the topic

CENTRA Seminar

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portal.educast.fccn.pt/videos?c=6865