Search for Eccentric Binary Neutron Star Mergers in the first and second observing runs of Advanced LIGO

We present a search for gravitational waves from merging binary neutron stars which have non-negligible eccentricity as they enter the LIGO observing band. We use the public Advanced LIGO data which covers the period from 2015 through 2017 and contains $\sim164$ days of LIGO-Hanford and LIGO-Livingston coincident observing time. The search was conducted using matched-filtering using the PyCBC toolkit. We find no significant binary neutron star candidates beyond GW170817, which has previously been reported by searches for binaries in circular orbits. We place a 90% upper limit of $\sim1700$ mergers $\textrm{Gpc}^{-3} \textrm{Yr}^{-1}$ for eccentricities $\lesssim 0.43$ at a dominant-mode gravitational-wave frequency of 10 Hz. The absence of a detection with these data is consistent with theoretical predictions of eccentric binary neutron star merger rates. Using our measured rate we estimate the sensitive volume of future gravitational-wave detectors and compare this to theoretical rate predictions. We find that, in the absence of a prior detection, the rate limits set by six months of Cosmic Explorer observations would constrain all current plausible models of eccentric binary neutron star formation

Eccentric Binary Neutron Star Search Prospects for Cosmic Explorer

We determine the ability of Cosmic Explorer, a proposed third-generation gravitational-wave observatory, to detect eccentric binary neutron stars and to measure their eccentricity. We find that for a matched-filter search, template banks constructed using binaries in quasi-circular orbits are effectual for eccentric neutron star binaries with $e_{7} \leq 0.004$ ($e_{7} \leq 0.003$) for CE1 (CE2), where $e_7$ is the binary's eccentricity at a gravitational-wave frequency of 7~Hz. We show that stochastic template placement can be used to construct a matched-filter search for binaries with larger eccentricities and construct an effectual template bank for binaries with $e_{7} \leq 0.05$. We show that the computational cost of both the search for binaries in quasi-circular orbits and eccentric orbits is not significantly larger for Cosmic Explorer than for Advanced LIGO and is accessible with present-day computational resources. We investigate Cosmic Explorer's ability to distinguish between circular and eccentric binaries. We estimate that for a binary with a signal-to-noise ratio of 8 (800), Cosmic Explorer can distinguish between a circular binary and a binary with eccentricity $e_7 \gtrsim 10^{-2}$ ($10^{-3}$) at 90\% confidence

Measuring the eccentricity of GW170817 and GW190425

Two binary neutron star mergers, GW170817 and GW190425, have been detected by Advanced LIGO and Virgo. These signals were detected by matched-filter searches that assume the star's orbit has circularized by the time their gravitational-wave emission is observable. This suggests that their eccentricity is low, but a direct measurement of their eccentricity has not yet been made. We use gravitational-wave observations to measure the eccentricity of GW170817 and GW190425. We find that the eccentricity at a gravitational-wave frequency of 10 Hz is $e \leq 0.024$ and $e \leq 0.048$ for GW170817 and GW190425, respectively (90\% confidence). This is consistent with the binaries being formed in the field, as such systems are expected to have circularized to $e \leq 10^{-4}$ by the time they reach the LIGO-Virgo band. Our constraint is a factor of two smaller that an estimate based on GW170817 being detected by searches that neglect eccentricity. We note that other techniques used to constrain binary neutron star eccentricity without full parameter estimation may miss degeneracies in the waveform, and that for future signals it will be important to perform full parameter estimation with accurate waveform templates

Fish Assemblage Shifts and Population Dynamics of Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) in the Beaver Archipelago, Northern Lake Michigan: A Comparison Between Historical and Recent Time Periods Amidst Ecosystem Changes.

The ecological and economic importance of Great Lakes nearshore areas and the paucity of information on nearshore Lake Michigan fish assemblages prompted us to document changes that occurred from a historical time period (1969–1972, 1975, 1977, and 1984) to a recent period (2005–2008) in a nearshore northern Lake Michigan (Beaver Archipelago) fish assemblage, with an emphasis on smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu. From historical to recent periods, the Beaver Archipelago fish assemblage shifted from predominantly brown bullheads Ameiurus nebulosus to predominantly smallmouth bass. Relative abundance of brown bullheads and white suckers Catostomus commersonii declined from historical to recent time periods, as did overall species richness. The relative abundance, recruitment variability, and mortality rates of smallmouth bass have not significantly changed since the historical time period, whereas both condition (ages 5–7) and growth (ages 2–7) of this species have significantly increased. Our results suggest that the smallmouth bass population in the Beaver Archipelago area has not been negatively affected by recent ecological changes (i.e., declining primary productivity, increasing benthic invertebrate densities, increasing numbers of double-crested cormorants Phalacrocorax auritus, and increasing introductions of nonnative species). The smallmouth bass is currently the dominant nearshore species and remains a critical component of the nearshore fish assemblage in northern Lake Michigan

First Narrow-Band Search For Continuous Gravitational Waves From Known Pulsars In Advanced Detector Data

In Advanced LIGO, detection and astrophysical source parameter estimation of the binary black hole merger GW150914 requires a calibrated estimate of the gravitational-wave strain sensed by the detectors. Producing an estimate from each detector\u27s differential arm length control loop readout signals requires applying time domain filters, which are designed from a frequency domain model of the detector\u27s gravitational-wave response. The gravitational-wave response model is determined by the detector\u27s opto-mechanical response and the properties of its feedback control system. The measurements used to validate the model and characterize its uncertainty are derived primarily from a dedicated photon radiation pressure actuator, with cross-checks provided by optical and radio frequency references. We describe how the gravitational-wave readout signal is calibrated into equivalent gravitational-wave-induced strain and how the statistical uncertainties and systematic errors are assessed. Detector data collected over 38 calendar days, from September 12 to October 20, 2015, contain the event GW150914 and approximately 16 of coincident data used to estimate the event false alarm probability. The calibration uncertainty is less than 10% in magnitude and 10 degrees in phase across the relevant frequency band 20 Hz to 1 kHz

All-Sky Search For Periodic Gravitational Waves In The O1 Ligo Data

We present the results of a semicoherent search for continuous gravitational waves from the low-mass X-ray binary Scorpius X-1, using data from the first Advanced LIGO observing run. The search method uses details of the modelled, parametrized continuous signal to combine coherently data separated by less than a specified coherence time, which can be adjusted to trade off sensitivity against computational cost. A search was conducted over the frequency range from 25 Hz to 2000 Hz, spanning the current observationally-constrained range of the binary orbital parameters. No significant detection candidates were found, and frequency-dependent upper limits were set using a combination of sensitivity estimates and simulated signal injections. The most stringent upper limit was set at 175 Hz, with comparable limits set across the most sensitive frequency range from 100 Hz to 200 Hz. At this frequency, the 95 pct upper limit on signal amplitude h0 is 2.3e-25 marginalized over the unknown inclination angle of the neutron star\u27s spin, and 8.03e-26 assuming the best orientation (which results in circularly polarized gravitational waves). These limits are a factor of 3-4 stronger than those set by other analyses of the same data, and a factor of about 7 stronger than the best upper limits set using initial LIGO data. In the vicinity of 100 Hz, the limits are a factor of between 1.2 and 3.5 above the predictions of the torque balance model, depending on inclination angle, if the most likely inclination angle of 44 degrees is assumed, they are within a factor of 1.7