Advanced Virgo: Status of the Detector, Latest Results and Future Prospects

none6noopenBersanetti, Diego; Patricelli, Barbara; Piccinni, Ornella Juliana; Piergiovanni, Francesco; Salemi, Francesco; Sequino, ValeriaBersanetti, Diego; Patricelli, Barbara; Piccinni, Ornella Juliana; Piergiovanni, Francesco; Salemi, Francesco; Sequino, Valeri

First narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves from known pulsars in advanced detector data

Spinning neutron stars asymmetric with respect to their rotation axis are potential sources of continuous gravitational waves for ground-based interferometric detectors. In the case of known pulsars a fully coherent search, based on matched filtering, which uses the position and rotational parameters obtained from electromagnetic observations, can be carried out. Matched filtering maximizes the signalto- noise (SNR) ratio, but a large sensitivity loss is expected in case of even a very small mismatch between the assumed and the true signal parameters. For this reason, narrow-band analysis methods have been developed, allowing a fully coherent search for gravitational waves from known pulsars over a fraction of a hertz and several spin-down values. In this paper we describe a narrow-band search of 11 pulsars using data from Advanced LIGO’s first observing run. Although we have found several initial outliers, further studies show no significant evidence for the presence of a gravitational wave signal. Finally, we have placed upper limits on the signal strain amplitude lower than the spin-down limit for 5 of the 11 targets over the bands searched; in the case of J1813-1749 the spin-down limit has been beaten for the first time. For an additional 3 targets, the median upper limit across the search bands is below the spin-down limit. This is the most sensitive narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves carried out so far

Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo

Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass M>70 M⊙) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities 0<e≤0.3 at 0.33 Gpc−3 yr−1 at 90\% confidence level

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM

Search for gravitational-lensing signatures in the full third observing run of the LIGO-Virgo network

Gravitational lensing by massive objects along the line of sight to the source causes distortions of gravitational wave-signals; such distortions may reveal information about fundamental physics, cosmology and astrophysics. In this work, we have extended the search for lensing signatures to all binary black hole events from the third observing run of the LIGO--Virgo network. We search for repeated signals from strong lensing by 1) performing targeted searches for subthreshold signals, 2) calculating the degree of overlap amongst the intrinsic parameters and sky location of pairs of signals, 3) comparing the similarities of the spectrograms amongst pairs of signals, and 4) performing dual-signal Bayesian analysis that takes into account selection effects and astrophysical knowledge. We also search for distortions to the gravitational waveform caused by 1) frequency-independent phase shifts in strongly lensed images, and 2) frequency-dependent modulation of the amplitude and phase due to point masses. None of these searches yields significant evidence for lensing. Finally, we use the non-detection of gravitational-wave lensing to constrain the lensing rate based on the latest merger-rate estimates and the fraction of dark matter composed of compact objects

Simulations for the Locking and Alignment Strategy of the DRMI Configuration of the Advanced Virgo Plus Detector

The Advanced Virgo Plus project aims to increase the sensitivity of the Virgo gravitational-wave detector, given the forthcoming O4 Observing Run. One of the major upgrades is the addition of the Signal Recycling Mirror in the optical layout. This additional mirror will provide a broadband improvement to the sensitivity curve of the instrument, but poses significant challenges in the acquisition and operation of the detector’s working point. The process which brings the main optical components from the uncontrolled state to the final working point, which ensures the best detector sensitivity, is called lock acquisition: the lock acquisition is made by moving through increasingly more complex configurations toward the full control of all the interferometer’s longitudinal degrees of freedom. This paper will focus on the control of the Dual-Recycled Michelson Interferometer (DRMI, the central part of the Virgo interferometer), presenting a comprehensive study of the optical simulations used in the design and the commissioning of this configuration. Treated topics include: the characterization of optical fields, powers, and error signals for the controls; the development of a trigger logic to be used for the lock acquisition; the study of the alignment sensing and control system. The interdependence between the three items has also been studied. Moreover, the validity of the studied techniques will be assessed by a comparison with experimental data

Design for interaction: Factorized Nyquist based control design applied to a Gravitational Wave detector

Gravitational Wave detectors require feedback control to control the length between the sensitive components of the detector. The degrees of freedom in the control system are inherently coupled and the level of interaction furthermore varies over time. A systematic control design approach for the feedback controllers is presented which provides a guide on how to cope with the varying levels of interaction. A new controller for one of the loops has been designed and experimental results measured on the Gravitational Wave detector Advanced Virgo show a significant reduction in the root mean square error of the loop with the new controller

Integrating H2 synthesis and dynamic error budgetting for improved gravitational wave detection

Dynamic error budgets are an essential tool in identifying opportunities for improvements in a control system for Gravitational Wave detectors, but their potential is often not fully utilized in the control design. This paper presents a model and dynamic error budget for a challenging nested control system in the Advanced Virgo detector in combination with a systematic control design framework for one of the controllers. This framework fully utilizes the dynamic error budget by using H2 synthesis to allow for fast iterations in the control design when dealing with conflicting control objectives. Simulations together with experimental results on Advanced Virgo illustrate the effectiveness of the presented framework

Design for interaction: Factorized Nyquist based control design applied to a Gravitational Wave detector

Gravitational Wave detectors require feedback control to control the length between the sensitive components of the detector. The degrees of freedom in the control system are inherently coupled and the level of interaction furthermore varies over time. A systematic control design approach for the feedback controllers is presented which provides a guide on how to cope with the varying levels of interaction. A new controller for one of the loops has been designed and experimental results measured on the Gravitational Wave detector Advanced Virgo show a significant reduction in the root mean square error of the loop with the new controller.Team Jan-Willem van Wingerde