79 research outputs found
Application of graphics processing units to search pipelines for gravitational waves from coalescing binaries of compact objects
We report a novel application of a graphics processing unit (GPU) for the purpose of accelerating the search pipelines for gravitational waves from coalescing binaries of compact objects. A speed-up of 16-fold in total has been achieved with an NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra GPU card compared with one core of a 2.5 GHz Intel Q9300 central processing unit (CPU). We show that substantial improvements are possible and discuss the reduction in CPU count required for the detection of inspiral sources afforded by the use of GPUs
Parallelization, Special Hardware and Post-Newtonian Dynamics in Direct N - Body Simulations
The formation and evolution of supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries during and after galaxy mergers is an important ingredient for our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution in a cosmological context, e.g. for predictions of cosmic star formation histories or of SMBH demographics (to predict events that emit gravitational waves). If galaxies merge in the course of their evolution, there should be either many binary or even multiple black holes, or we have to find out what happens to black hole multiples in galactic nuclei, e.g. whether they come sufficiently close to merge resulting from emission of gravitational waves, or whether they eject each other in gravitational slingshot interactions
Genetic-algorithm-optimized neural networks for gravitational wave classification
Gravitational-wave detection strategies are based on a signal analysis
technique known as matched filtering. Despite the success of matched filtering,
due to its computational cost, there has been recent interest in developing
deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for signal detection. Designing these
networks remains a challenge as most procedures adopt a trial and error
strategy to set the hyperparameter values. We propose a new method for
hyperparameter optimization based on genetic algorithms (GAs). We compare six
different GA variants and explore different choices for the GA-optimized
fitness score. We show that the GA can discover high-quality architectures when
the initial hyperparameter seed values are far from a good solution as well as
refining already good networks. For example, when starting from the
architecture proposed by George and Huerta, the network optimized over the
20-dimensional hyperparameter space has 78% fewer trainable parameters while
obtaining an 11% increase in accuracy for our test problem. Using genetic
algorithm optimization to refine an existing network should be especially
useful if the problem context (e.g. statistical properties of the noise, signal
model, etc) changes and one needs to rebuild a network. In all of our
experiments, we find the GA discovers significantly less complicated networks
as compared to the seed network, suggesting it can be used to prune wasteful
network structures. While we have restricted our attention to CNN classifiers,
our GA hyperparameter optimization strategy can be applied within other machine
learning settings.Comment: 25 pages, 8 figures, and 2 tables; Version 2 includes an expanded
discussion of our hyperparameter optimization mode
GWTC-3: Compact Binary Coalescences Observed by LIGO and Virgo during the Second Part of the Third Observing Run
The third Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog (GWTC-3) describes signals detected with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo up to the end of their third observing run. Updating the previous GWTC-2.1, we present candidate gravitational waves from compact binary coalescences during the second half of the third observing run (O3b) between 1 November 2019, 15∶00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and 27 March 2020, 17∶00 UTC. There are 35 compact binary coalescence candidates identified by at least one of our search algorithms with a probability of astrophysical origin pastro>0.5. Of these, 18 were previously reported as low-latency public alerts, and 17 are reported here for the first time. Based upon estimates for the component masses, our O3b candidates with pastro>0.5 are consistent with gravitational-wave signals from binary black holes or neutron-star-black-hole binaries, and we identify none from binary neutron stars. However, from the gravitational-wave data alone, we are not able to measure matter effects that distinguish whether the binary components are neutron stars or black holes. The range of inferred component masses is similar to that found with previous catalogs, but the O3b candidates include the first confident observations of neutron-star-black-hole binaries. Including the 35 candidates from O3b in addition to those from GWTC-2.1, GWTC-3 contains 90 candidates found by our analysis with pastro>0.5 across the first three observing runs. These observations of compact binary coalescences present an unprecedented view of the properties of black holes and neutron stars
Evidence for subdominant multipole moments and precession in merging black-hole-binaries from GWTC-2.1
The LIGO--Virgo--KAGRA collaborations (LVK) recently produced a catalogue
containing gravitational-wave (GW) observations from the first half of the
third GW observing run (O3a). This catalogue, GWTC-2.1, includes for the first
time a number of \emph{exceptional} GW candidates produced from merging
black-hole-binaries with unequivocally unequal component masses. Since
subdominant multipole moments and spin-induced orbital precession are more
likely to leave measurable imprints on the emitted GW from unequal component
mass binaries, these general relativistic phenomena may now be measurable.
Indeed, both GW190412 and GW190814 have already shown conclusive evidence for
subdominant multipole moments. This provides valuable insights into the
dynamics of the binary. We calculate the evidence for subdominant multipole
moments and spin-induced orbital precession for all merging black-hole-binaries
in GWTC-2.1 that were observed during O3a and show that (a) no
gravitational-wave candidate has measurable higher order multipole content
beyond , (b) in addition to the already known GW190412 and GW190814,
GW190519\_153544 shows significant evidence for the
subdominant multipole, (c) GW190521 may have measurable subdominant multipole
content and (d) GW190412 may show evidence for spin-induced orbital precession.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure
GWTC-3: Compact Binary Coalescences Observed by LIGO and Virgo During the Second Part of the Third Observing Run
The third Gravitational-wave Transient Catalog (GWTC-3) describes signals detected with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo up to the end of their third observing run. Updating the previous GWTC-2.1, we present candidate gravitational waves from compact binary coalescences during the second half of the third observing run (O3b) between 1 November 2019, 15:00 UTC and 27 March 2020, 17:00 UTC. There are 35 compact binary coalescence candidates identified by at least one of our search algorithms with a probability of astrophysical origin . Of these, 18 were previously reported as low-latency public alerts, and 17 are reported here for the first time. Based upon estimates for the component masses, our O3b candidates with are consistent with gravitational-wave signals from binary black holes or neutron star-black hole binaries, and we identify none from binary neutron stars. However, from the gravitational-wave data alone, we are not able to measure matter effects that distinguish whether the binary components are neutron stars or black holes. The range of inferred component masses is similar to that found with previous catalogs, but the O3b candidates include the first confident observations of neutron star-black hole binaries. Including the 35 candidates from O3b in addition to those from GWTC-2.1, GWTC-3 contains 90 candidates found by our analysis with across the first three observing runs. These observations of compact binary coalescences present an unprecedented view of the properties of black holes and neutron stars
GWTC-3: Compact Binary Coalescences Observed by LIGO and Virgo During the Second Part of the Third Observing Run
The third Gravitational-wave Transient Catalog (GWTC-3) describes signals detected with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo up to the end of their third observing run. Updating the previous GWTC-2.1, we present candidate gravitational waves from compact binary coalescences during the second half of the third observing run (O3b) between 1 November 2019, 15:00 UTC and 27 March 2020, 17:00 UTC. There are 35 compact binary coalescence candidates identified by at least one of our search algorithms with a probability of astrophysical origin pastro\u3e0.5. Of these, 18 were previously reported as low-latency public alerts, and 17 are reported here for the first time. Based upon estimates for the component masses, our O3b candidates with pastro\u3e0.5 are consistent with gravitational-wave signals from binary black holes or neutron star-black hole binaries, and we identify none from binary neutron stars. However, from the gravitational-wave data alone, we are not able to measure matter effects that distinguish whether the binary components are neutron stars or black holes. The range of inferred component masses is similar to that found with previous catalogs, but the O3b candidates include the first confident observations of neutron star-black hole binaries. Including the 35 candidates from O3b in addition to those from GWTC-2.1, GWTC-3 contains 90 candidates found by our analysis with pastro\u3e0.5 across the first three observing runs. These observations of compact binary coalescences present an unprecedented view of the properties of black holes and neutron stars
Gravitational Wave Data Analysis: Computing Challenges in the 3G Era
Cyber infrastructure will be a critical consideration in the development of next generation gravitational-wave detectors. The demand for data analysis computing in the 3G era will be driven by the high number of detections as well as the expanded search parameter space for compact astrophysical objects and the subsequent parameter estimation follow-up required to extract the nature of the sources. Additionally, there will be an increased need to develop appropriate and scalable computing cyberinfrastructure, including data access and transfer protocols, and storage and management of software tools, that have sustainable development, support, and management processes. This report identifies the major challenges and opportunities facing 3G gravitational-wave observatories and presents recommendations for addressing them. This report is the fourth in a six part series of reports by the GWIC 3G Subcommittee: i) Expanding the Reach of Gravitational Wave Observatories to the Edge of the Universe, ii) The Next Generation Global Gravitational Wave Observatory: The Science Book, iii) 3G R&D: R&D for the Next Generation of Ground-based Gravitational Wave Detectors, iv) Gravitational Wave Data Analysis: Computing Challenges in the 3G Era (this report), v) Future Ground-based Gravitational-wave Observatories: Synergies with Other Scientific Communities, and vi) An Exploration of Possible Governance Models for the Future Global Gravitational-Wave Observatory Network
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