1,086 research outputs found
Null-stream veto for two co-located detectors: Implementation issues
Time-series data from multiple gravitational wave (GW) detectors can be
linearly combined to form a null-stream, in which all GW information will be
cancelled out. This null-stream can be used to distinguish between actual GW
triggers and spurious noise transients in a search for GW bursts using a
network of detectors. The biggest source of error in the null-stream analysis
comes from the fact that the detector data are not perfectly calibrated. In
this paper, we present an implementation of the null-stream veto in the
simplest network of two co-located detectors. The detectors are assumed to have
calibration uncertainties and correlated noise components. We estimate the
effect of calibration uncertainties in the null-stream veto analysis and
propose a new formulation to overcome this. This new formulation is
demonstrated by doing software injections in Gaussian noise.Comment: Minor changes; To appear in Class. Quantum Grav. (Proc. GWDAW10
Subtraction of temperature induced phase noise in the LISA frequency band
Temperature fluctuations are expected to be one of the limiting factors for
gravitational wave detectors in the very low frequency range. Here we report
the characterisation of this noise source in the LISA Pathfinder optical bench
and propose a method to remove its contribution from the data. Our results show
that temperature fluctuations are indeed limiting our measurement below one
millihertz, and that their subtraction leads to a factor 5.6 (15 dB) reduction
in the noise level at the lower end of the LISA measurement band 10^{-4} Hz,
which increases to 20.2 (26 dB) at even lower frequencies, i.e., 1.5x10^{-5}
Hz. The method presented here can be applied to the subtraction of other noise
sources in gravitational wave detectors in the general situation where multiple
sensors are used to characterise the noise source.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
LISA Sensitivity and SNR Calculations
This Technical Note (LISA reference LISA-LCST-SGS-TN-001) describes the computation of the noise power spectral density, the sensitivity curve and the signal-to-noise ratio for LISA (Laser Interferometer Antenna). It is an applicable document for ESA (European Space Agency) and the reference for the LISA Science Requirement Document
Bayesian parameter estimation in the second LISA Pathfinder Mock Data Challenge
A main scientific output of the LISA Pathfinder mission is to provide a noise
model that can be extended to the future gravitational wave observatory, LISA.
The success of the mission depends thus upon a deep understanding of the
instrument, especially the ability to correctly determine the parameters of the
underlying noise model. In this work we estimate the parameters of a simplified
model of the LISA Technology Package (LTP) instrument. We describe the LTP by
means of a closed-loop model that is used to generate the data, both injected
signals and noise. Then, parameters are estimated using a Bayesian framework
and it is shown that this method reaches the optimal attainable error, the
Cramer-Rao bound. We also address an important issue for the mission: how to
efficiently combine the results of different experiments to obtain a unique set
of parameters describing the instrument.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR
Space-based Gravitational Wave Observatories
In this article, which will appear as a chapter in the Handbook of Gravitational Wave Astronomy, we will describe the detection of gravitational waves with space-based interferometric gravitational wave observatories. We will provide an overview of the key technologies underlying their operation, illustrated using the specific example of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). We will then give an overview of data analysis strategies for space-based detectors, including a description of time-delay interferometry, which is required to suppress laser frequency noise to the necessary level. We will describe the main sources of gravitational waves in the millihertz frequency range targeted by space-based detectors and then discuss some of the key science investigations that these observations will facilitate. Once again, quantitative statements given here will make reference to the capabilities of LISA, as that is the best studied mission concept. Finally, we will describe some of the proposals for even more sensitive space-based detectors that could be launched further in the future
Robust vetoes for gravitational-wave burst triggers using known instrumental couplings
The search for signatures of transient, unmodelled gravitational-wave (GW)
bursts in the data of ground-based interferometric detectors typically uses
`excess-power' search methods. One of the most challenging problems in the
burst-data-analysis is to distinguish between actual GW bursts and spurious
noise transients that trigger the detection algorithms. In this paper, we
present a unique and robust strategy to `veto' the instrumental glitches. This
method makes use of the phenomenological understanding of the coupling of
different detector sub-systems to the main detector output. The main idea
behind this method is that the noise at the detector output (channel H) can be
projected into two orthogonal directions in the Fourier space -- along, and
orthogonal to, the direction in which the noise in an instrumental channel X
would couple into H. If a noise transient in the detector output originates
from channel X, it leaves the statistics of the noise-component of H orthogonal
to X unchanged, which can be verified by a statistical hypothesis testing. This
strategy is demonstrated by doing software injections in simulated Gaussian
noise. We also formulate a less-rigorous, but computationally inexpensive
alternative to the above method. Here, the parameters of the triggers in
channel X are compared to the parameters of the triggers in channel H to see
whether a trigger in channel H can be `explained' by a trigger in channel X and
the measured transfer function.Comment: 14 Pages, 8 Figures, To appear in Class. Quantum Gra
Physical instrumental vetoes for gravitational-wave burst triggers
We present a robust strategy to \emph{veto} certain classes of instrumental
glitches that appear at the output of interferometric gravitational-wave (GW)
detectors.This veto method is `physical' in the sense that, in order to veto a
burst trigger, we make use of our knowledge of the coupling of different
detector subsystems to the main detector output. The main idea behind this
method is that the noise in an instrumental channel X can be \emph{transferred}
to the detector output (channel H) using the \emph{transfer function} from X to
H, provided the noise coupling is \emph{linear} and the transfer function is
\emph{unique}. If a non-stationarity in channel H is causally related to one in
channel X, the two have to be consistent with the transfer function. We
formulate two methods for testing the consistency between the burst triggers in
channel X and channel H. One method makes use of the \emph{null-stream}
constructed from channel H and the \emph{transferred} channel X, and the second
involves cross-correlating the two. We demonstrate the efficiency of the veto
by `injecting' instrumental glitches in the hardware of the GEO 600 detector.
The \emph{veto safety} is demonstrated by performing GW-like hardware
injections. We also show an example application of this method using 5 days of
data from the fifth science run of GEO 600. The method is found to have very
high veto efficiency with a very low accidental veto rate.Comment: Minor changes, To appear in Phys. Rev.
Calibrating spectral estimation for the LISA Technology Package with multichannel synthetic noise generation
The scientific objectives of the Lisa Technology Package (LTP) experiment, on
board of the LISA Pathfinder mission, demand for an accurate calibration and
validation of the data analysis tools in advance of the mission launch. The
levels of confidence required on the mission outcomes can be reached only with
an intense activity on synthetically generated data. A flexible procedure
allowing the generation of cross-correlated stationary noise time series was
set-up. Multi-channel time series with the desired cross correlation behavior
can be generated once a model for a multichannel cross-spectral matrix is
provided. The core of the procedure is the synthesis of a noise coloring
multichannel filter through a frequency-by-frequency eigendecomposition of the
model cross-spectral matrix and a Z-domain fit. The common problem of initial
transients in noise time series is solved with a proper initialization of the
filter recursive equations. The noise generator performances were tested in a
two dimensional case study of the LTP dynamics along the two principal channels
of the sensing interferometer.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review D (http://prd.aps.org/
Parameter estimation in LISA Pathfinder operational exercises
The LISA Pathfinder data analysis team has been developing in the last years
the infrastructure and methods required to run the mission during flight
operations. These are gathered in the LTPDA toolbox, an object oriented MATLAB
toolbox that allows all the data analysis functionalities for the mission,
while storing the history of all operations performed to the data, thus easing
traceability and reproducibility of the analysis. The parameter estimation
methods in the toolbox have been applied recently to data sets generated with
the OSE (Off-line Simulations Environment), a detailed LISA Pathfinder
non-linear simulator that will serve as a reference simulator during mission
operations. These operational exercises aim at testing the on-orbit experiments
in a realistic environment in terms of software and time constraints. These
simulations, so called operational exercises, are the last verification step
before translating these experiments into tele-command sequences for the
spacecraft, producing therefore very relevant datasets to test our data
analysis methods. In this contribution we report the results obtained with
three different parameter estimation methods during one of these operational
exercises.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, prepared for the Proceedings of the 9th Edoardo
Amaldi Conference on Gravitational Waves, JPC
Is cardiac surgery warranted in children with Down syndrome? A case-controlled review
Objectives. To compare children with Down syndrome and children without Down syndrome and investigate whether there is a significant difference in the burden that is placed on the health care system between these two groups only in respect of the repair of congenital heart disease at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. Design. This study is a retrospective case control review. Setting. Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.Subjects. The sample group of 50 Down syndrome children who had received cardiac surgery between January 1998 and June 2003 was compared with a control group of 50 nonsyndromic children who had received cardiac surgery during the same period. Outcome measures. Sex and diagnoses (cardiac and noncardiac), number of days spent in hospital and in ICU, complication rates, re-operation rates, early mortality rates, planned further cardiac surgery. Costs of these outcomes were not quantified in exact monetary terms. Results. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the burden that was placed on the health care system. Similar complication rates, re-operation rates and early mortality rates were recorded for both groups. The Down syndrome group appeared to benefit more from cardiac surgery than the non-Down syndrome group. Conclusion. Denying cardiac surgery to children with Down syndrome does not improve the efficiency of resource allocation. It is therefore not reasonable to suggest that the problem of scarce resources can be ameliorated by discriminating against children with Down syndrome
- …