Gravitational Wave Observation and Inference in the Advanced Detector Era

引力波(GWS)是爱因斯坦广义相对论预测的几何和空间时间的扭曲，为我们提供了一个了解宇宙的新窗口，使我们能够补充从电磁光谱的不同部分获得的信息范围，例如来自光学和射电观测、来自宇宙射线和中微子测量的数据。激光干涉引力波观测站(LIGO)最近升级到了其先进的配置，具有更高的灵敏度，这应该会在不久的将来提供第一次直接GW探测。这个项目将涉及罗切斯特理工学院(RIT)的教职员工和学生，他们将分析LIGO的数据，以寻求第一次探测，并由此突破性地扩展我们对宇宙的知识。在这个项目中，我们将分析LIGO的数据，以寻找来自两种类型的来源的信号：快速旋转的中子星(密度极高的中子星，质量比太阳和城市大，每秒自转数十到数百倍)，以及黑洞的双星系统，由于GW辐射导致其轨道崩溃的最后几秒钟。我们将使用互相关技术从低质量X射线双星天蝎座X-1中搜索GWS，这在最近的模拟数据挑战中被证明是目前对这个目标实施的最灵敏的搜索方法。我们还将改进和实施一种使用数值模拟来估计紧凑双星系统参数的方法，进一步加强数值相关性和数据分析社区之间的协同作用。除了搜索GWS外，还将产生引力波传播和探测的可视化图像，这将有助于普通公众了解LIGO所做的科学。

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.