The statistics of gravitational-wave detection and astrophysics

Document #:

LIGO-G1601914-v2

Document type:

G - Presentations (eg Graphics)

Abstract:

The LIGO interferometers resumed operation in 2015, upgrading an already exquisite precision measurement capability and maintaining one of the most sensitive experimental devices ever constructed. The pay off was a series of binary black hole merger detections: the first of their kind to be recorded. The effect of these transients are tiny perturbations embedded within an often noisy instrument --- sophisticated statistical procedures are required to extract, confidently detect, and maximize the information extracted from each transient. In this talk, I will explain the basis of gravitational-wave detection, and transition those basic concepts into how the properties of a merging compact binary are measured. Finally, I will show how all these pieces are fit together to derive statements about the astrophysics of compact objects and their environments.

Files in Document:

• PhyStatNu.pdf (3.2 MB)

Topics:

• Compact Binaries
• Data Analysis
• Astrophysics / Multi-messenger

Authors:

• Chris Pankow