Gravitational Wave Observation and Inference in the Advanced Detector Era

引力波（GWs），爱因斯坦广义相对论预测的几何形状和空间和时间的扭曲，提供了一个新的宇宙窗口，使我们能够补充电磁频谱不同部分的信息范围，例如，从光学和无线电观测，从宇宙射线和中微子测量的数据。 激光干涉引力波天文台（LIGO）最近升级到其先进的配置，提高了灵敏度，在不久的将来应该提供第一个直接的GW检测。 该项目将涉及罗切斯特理工学院（RIT）的教师和学生，他们将分析LIGO的数据，以寻求第一次探测和由此带来的对宇宙知识的突破性扩展。在这个项目中，我们将分析LIGO数据，以寻找来自两种来源的信号：快速旋转中子星（密度极高的物体，质量超过太阳，大小相当于一座城市，每秒旋转数十到数百次），和黑洞双星系统在最后几秒钟的崩溃，其轨道由于GW的排放。 我们将使用互相关技术从低质量X射线双星Scorpius X-1中搜索GW，该技术最近在模拟数据挑战中被证明是目前针对该目标实施的最敏感的搜索方法。 我们还将改进和实施一种方法，使用数值模拟来估计紧凑二元系统的参数，进一步促进数值相对论和数据分析社区之间的协同作用。 除了寻找GWs之外，还将产生引力波传播和探测的可视化，这将有助于公众对LIGO所做的科学的理解。

Gravitational waves (GWs), distortions of the geometry and space and time predicted by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, provide a new window on the universe, allowing us to supplement the range of information available from different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, for example, from optical and radio observations, from data from cosmic rays and from neutrino measurements. Tthe Laser Interferometry Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) has recently been upgraded to its advanced configuration, with an increased sensitivity which should provide the first direct GW detection in the near future. This project will involve faculty and students of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), who will analyze data from LIGO in the quest for that first detection and the resulting groundbreaking expansion of our knowledge of the universe.In this project, we will analyze LIGO data to look for signals from two types of sources: rapidly rotating neutron stars (extremely dense objects more massive than the Sun and the size of a city, spinning tens to hundreds of times every second), and binary systems of black holes in the last seconds of the breakdown of their orbits due to GW emission. We will carry out a search for GWs from the low-mass X-ray binary Scorpius X-1 using a cross-correlation technique which was recently shown in a mock data challenge to be the most sensitive search method currently implemented for this target. We will also refine and implement a method to estimate the parameters of compact binary systems using numerical simulations, furthering the synergy between the numerical relativity and data analysis communities. In addition to the search for GWs, visualizations will be produced of gravitational-wave propagation and detection which will aid the general public's understanding of the science done by LIGO.