1,174 research outputs found
Time-frequency analysis of extreme-mass-ratio inspiral signals in mock LISA data
Extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs) of ~ 1-10 solar-mass compact objects
into ~ million solar-mass massive black holes can serve as excellent probes of
strong-field general relativity. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA)
is expected to detect gravitational wave signals from apprxomiately one hundred
EMRIs per year, but the data analysis of EMRI signals poses a unique set of
challenges due to their long duration and the extensive parameter space of
possible signals. One possible approach is to carry out a search for EMRI
tracks in the time-frequency domain. We have applied a time-frequency search to
the data from the Mock LISA Data Challenge (MLDC) with promising results. Our
analysis used the Hierarchical Algorithm for Clusters and Ridges to identify
tracks in the time-frequency spectrogram corresponding to EMRI sources. We then
estimated the EMRI source parameters from these tracks. In these proceedings,
we discuss the results of this analysis of the MLDC round 1.3 data.Comment: Amaldi-7 conference proceedings; requires jpconf style file
Detecting extreme mass ratio inspirals with LISA using time-frequency methods II: search characterization
The inspirals of stellar-mass compact objects into supermassive black holes
constitute some of the most important sources for LISA. Detection of these
sources using fully coherent matched filtering is computationally intractable,
so alternative approaches are required. In a previous paper (Wen and Gair 2005,
gr-qc/0502100), we outlined a detection method based on looking for excess
power in a time-frequency spectrogram of the LISA data. The performance of the
algorithm was assessed using a single `typical' trial waveform and
approximations to the noise statistics. In this paper we present results of
Monte Carlo simulations of the search noise statistics and examine its
performance in detecting a wider range of trial waveforms. We show that typical
extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs) can be detected at distances of up to 1--3
Gpc, depending on the source parameters. We also discuss some remaining issues
with the technique and possible ways in which the algorithm can be improved.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, to appear in proceedings of GWDAW 9, Annecy,
France, December 200
Detecting extreme mass ratio inspiral events in LISA data using the Hierarchical Algorithm for Clusters and Ridges (HACR)
One of the most exciting prospects for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
(LISA) is the detection of gravitational waves from the inspirals of
stellar-mass compact objects into supermassive black holes. Detection of these
sources is an extremely challenging computational problem due to the large
parameter space and low amplitude of the signals. However, recent work has
suggested that the nearest extreme mass ratio inspiral (EMRI) events will be
sufficiently loud that they might be detected using computationally cheap,
template-free techniques, such as a time-frequency analysis. In this paper, we
examine a particular time-frequency algorithm, the Hierarchical Algorithm for
Clusters and Ridges (HACR). This algorithm searches for clusters in a power map
and uses the properties of those clusters to identify signals in the data. We
find that HACR applied to the raw spectrogram performs poorly, but when the
data is binned during the construction of the spectrogram, the algorithm can
detect typical EMRI events at distances of up to Gpc. This is a little
further than the simple Excess Power method that has been considered
previously. We discuss the HACR algorithm, including tuning for single and
multiple sources, and illustrate its performance for detection of typical EMRI
events, and other likely LISA sources, such as white dwarf binaries and
supermassive black hole mergers. We also discuss how HACR cluster properties
could be used for parameter extraction.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures, submitted to Class. Quantum Gravity. Modified
and shortened in light of referee's comments. Updated results consider tuning
over all three HACR thresholds, and show 10-15% improvement in detection rat
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A reason for unreason: returns based beliefs in game theory
Players cooperate in experiments more than game theory would predict. We introduce the âreturns-based beliefsâ approach: the expected returns of a particular strategy in proportion to total expected returns of all strategies. Using a decision analytic solution concept, Luceâs (1959) probabilistic choice model, and âhyperpriorsâ for ambiguity in playersâ cooperability, our approach explains empirical observations in various classes of games including the Prisonerâs and Travelerâs Dilemmas. Testing the closeness of fit of our model on Selten and Chmura (2008) data for completely mixed 2 Ă 2 games shows that with loss aversion, returns-based beliefs explain the data better than other equilibrium concepts
Observing the Galaxy's massive black hole with gravitational wave bursts
An extreme-mass-ratio burst (EMRB) is a gravitational wave signal emitted
when a compact object passes through periapsis on a highly eccentric orbit
about a much more massive object, in our case a stellar mass object about a
10^6 M_sol black hole. EMRBs are a relatively unexplored means of probing the
spacetime of massive black holes (MBHs). We conduct an investigation of the
properties of EMRBs and how they could allow us to constrain the parameters,
such as spin, of the Galaxy's MBH. We find that if an EMRB event occurs in the
Galaxy, it should be detectable for periapse distances r_p < 65 r_g for a \mu =
10 M_sol orbiting object, where r_g = GM/c^2 is the gravitational radius. The
signal-to-noise ratio scales as \rho ~ -2.7 log(r_p/r_g) + log(\mu/M_sol) +
4.9. For periapses r_p < 10 r_g, EMRBs can be informative, and provide good
constraints on both the MBH's mass and spin. Closer orbits provide better
constraints, with the best giving accuracies of better than one part in 10^4
for both the mass and spin parameter.Comment: 25 pages, 17 figures, 1 appendix. One more typo fixe
Expectations for extreme-mass-ratio bursts from the Galactic Centre
When a compact object on a highly eccentric orbit about a much more massive
body passes through periapsis it emits a short gravitational wave signal known
as an extreme-mass-ratio burst (EMRB). We consider stellar mass objects
orbiting the massive black hole (MBH) found in the Galactic Centre. EMRBs
provide a novel means of extracting information about the MBH; an EMRB from the
Galactic MBH could be highly informative regarding the MBH's mass and spin if
the orbital periapsis is small enough. However, to be a useful astronomical
tool EMRBs must be both informative and sufficiently common to be detectable
with a space-based interferometer. We construct a simple model to predict the
event rate for Galactic EMRBs. We estimate there could be on average ~2 bursts
in a two year mission lifetime for LISA. Stellar mass black holes dominate the
event rate. Creating a sample of 100 mission realisations, we calculate what we
could learn about the MBH. On average, we expect to be able to determine the
MBH mass to ~1% and the spin to ~0.1 using EMRBs.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, 2 appendices. Minor changes to reflect published
versio
Detection Strategies for Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals
The capture of compact stellar remnants by galactic black holes provides a
unique laboratory for exploring the near horizon geometry of the Kerr
spacetime, or possible departures from general relativity if the central cores
prove not to be black holes. The gravitational radiation produced by these
Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals (EMRIs) encodes a detailed map of the black hole
geometry, and the detection and characterization of these signals is a major
scientific goal for the LISA mission. The waveforms produced are very complex,
and the signals need to be coherently tracked for hundreds to thousands of
cycles to produce a detection, making EMRI signals one of the most challenging
data analysis problems in all of gravitational wave astronomy. Estimates for
the number of templates required to perform an exhaustive grid-based
matched-filter search for these signals are astronomically large, and far out
of reach of current computational resources. Here I describe an alternative
approach that employs a hybrid between Genetic Algorithms and Markov Chain
Monte Carlo techniques, along with several time saving techniques for computing
the likelihood function. This approach has proven effective at the blind
extraction of relatively weak EMRI signals from simulated LISA data sets.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, Updated for LISA 8 Symposium Proceeding
Gravitational radiation timescales for extreme mass ratio inspirals
The capture and inspiral of compact stellar masses into massive black holes
is an important source of low-frequency gravitational waves (with frequencies
of ~1-100mHz), such as those that might be detected by the planned Laser
Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Simulations of stellar clusters designed
to study this problem typically rely on simple treatments of the black hole
encounter which neglect some important features of orbits around black holes,
such as the minimum radii of stable, non-plunging orbits. Incorporating an
accurate representation of the orbital dynamics near a black hole has been
avoided due to the large computational overhead. This paper provides new, more
accurate, expressions for the energy and angular momentum lost by a compact
object during a parabolic encounter with a non-spinning black hole, and the
subsequent inspiral lifetime. These results improve on the Keplerian
expressions which are now commonly used and will allow efficient computational
simulations to be performed that account for the relativistic nature of the
spacetime around the central black hole in the system.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures. Changed in response to referee's report.
Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journa
Astrometric Effects of Gravitational Wave Backgrounds with non-Luminal Propagation Speeds
A passing gravitational wave causes a deflection in the apparent astrometric positions of distant stars. The effect of the speed of the gravitational wave on this astrometric shift is discussed. A stochastic background of gravitational waves would result in a pattern of astrometric deflections which are correlated on large angular scales. These correlations are quantified and investigated for backgrounds of gravitational waves with sub- and super-luminal group velocities. The statistical properties of the correlations are depicted in two equivalent and related ways: as correlation curves and as angular power spectra. Sub-(super-)luminal gravitational wave backgrounds have the effect of enhancing (suppressing) the power in low-order angular modes. Analytical representations of the redshift-redshift and redshift-astrometry correlations are also derived. The potential for using this effect for constraining the speed of gravity is discussed
Complete parameter inference for GW150914 using deep learning
The LIGO and Virgo gravitational-wave observatories have detected many exciting events over the past five years. As the rate of detections grows with detector sensitivity, this poses a growing computational challenge for data analysis. With this in mind, in this work we apply deep learning techniques to perform fast likelihood-free Bayesian inference for gravitational waves. We train a neural-network conditional density estimator to model posterior probability distributions over the full 15-dimensional space of binary black hole system parameters, given detector strain data from multiple detectors. We use the method of normalizing flows---specifically, a neural spline normalizing flow---which allows for rapid sampling and density estimation. Training the network is likelihood-free, requiring samples from the data generative process, but no likelihood evaluations. Through training, the network learns a global set of posteriors: it can generate thousands of independent posterior samples per second for any strain data consistent with the prior and detector noise characteristics used for training. By training with the detector noise power spectral density estimated at the time of GW150914, and conditioning on the event strain data, we use the neural network to generate accurate posterior samples consistent with analyses using conventional sampling techniques
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