Directional limits on persistent gravitational waves using data from Advanced LIGO's first two observing runs
Abstract
One of the next frontiers of gravitational-wave (GW) astrophysics is a measurement of persistent gravitational wave signals. For example, we could observe a quasi-monochromatic signal from pulsars, or a stochastic background of GWs, which is a superposition of many different astrophysical and cosmological sources. In this talk, I will present results from unmodelled searches for an anisotropic stochastic background of GWs that use data from Advanced LIGO's first two observation runs. We set upper limits on broadband GW energy density and flux from both point and extended sources on the sky, and narrowband upper limits on the strain amplitude from GWs in three astrophysically interesting directions—Scorpius X-1, the Galactic center, and SN 1987a. I will discuss the search methods that we employed, and briefly offer some theoretical context for when a detection from such a background is feasible.
- Publication:
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43rd COSPAR Scientific Assembly. Held 28 January - 4 February
- Pub Date:
- January 2021
- Bibcode:
- 2021cosp...43E1236M