A New Spin: The Next Generation of Gravitational-Wave Searches for Merging Black Holes

目前引力波对黑洞和中子星合并信号的搜索已经非常成功，使我们能够探索新的天体物理学并测试强场引力。然而，这些搜索还没有开始访问完整的，丰富的引力波信号发现空间。特别是，如果双黑洞有大的，不对齐的自旋和不对称的质量，那么双黑洞的轨道将进动。由此产生的引力波可能具有显著的振幅和相位调制，导致当前搜索完全错过信号。然而，这些调制的测量将使我们能够解开各种二元参数，使强引力机制中的基础物理学的探测比目前的探测更准确。该奖项支持开发搜索和潜在检测这类重要的进动信号所需的工具。此外，这项工作将为参与PI研究的本科生提供数据分析技能培训，特别是通过马萨诸塞州达特茅斯大学的ACCOMPLISH计划，该计划旨在提高低收入，高成就本科生的STEM学位完成率。该奖项所支持的工作将使用双管齐下的方法访问旋进二元黑洞的有趣类别。PI和一名博士生将设计和执行一个引力波搜索适度旋进的二元系统，使用两个谐波近似的旋进波形，使独立谐波的良好形态的开发。此外，该小组将设计和执行引力波搜索高度进动的二元系统使用的匹配滤波器统计在参数空间的约束区域的推广。这些搜索将部署在存档的引力波数据上，可能会检测到进动引力波信号，或者对此类系统的合并率设定有意义的上限。该奖项所支持的开发工作将为未来更复杂的搜索方向提供信息，特别是当我们转向第三代引力波探测器时。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Current gravitational-wave searches for signals from merging black holes and neutron stars have been extraordinarily successful, allowing us to probe new astrophysics and test strong-field gravity. However, these searches have not yet begun to access the full, rich discovery space of gravitational-wave signals. In particular, if binary black holes have large, misaligned spins and asymmetric masses, then the binary’s orbit will precess. The resulting gravitational waves can have significant amplitude and phase modulations, causing the signals to be missed entirely by current searches. However, measurement of these modulations would allow us to disentangle various binary parameters, enabling more accurate probes of fundamental physics in the strong-gravity regime than are possible with current detections. This award supports the development of tools needed to search for and potentially detect this important class of precessing signals. Additionally, this work will provide data-analysis skill training for undergraduates participating in this research with the PI, particularly through the ACCOMPLISH program at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth which seeks to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high achieving undergraduates. The work supported by this award will access the interesting class of precessing binary black holes using a two-pronged approach. The PI and a PhD student will design and perform a gravitational-wave search for moderately-precessing binary systems using a two-harmonic approximation to the precessing waveform, enabling the exploitation of the well-behaved morphology of the separate harmonics. Additionally, the group will design and perform a gravitational-wave search for highly-precessing binary systems using a generalization of the matched-filter statistic over a constrained region of parameter space. These searches will be deployed over archival gravitational-wave data, potentially making a detection of a precessing gravitational-wave signal or setting meaningful upper limits on the rates of mergers of such systems. The development work enabled by this award will inform future directions for more complex searches in general, particularly as we move to the third generation of gravitational-wave detectors.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.