Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
Summer 2023
Abstract
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) is a large interferometer that is used to observe gravitational waves (GW). GWs are produced when two massive objects, such as neutron stars or black holes collide. The GW signals give us information about the objects that collided. It has been theorized that a GW signal could echo off of other objects in space and arrive at Earth later than the original signal. We call this echo a glint. The glints would have a smaller amplitude than the original signal but would still have the same shape. We have yet to make any detections of GW glints. My project was to determine how large the amplitude of a glint would have to be in order to be detectable above the noise of the LIGO detectors. I approximated this by simulating previously detected GW signals with no glint in the noise at the time of the event. Using a Bayesian Statistics software (BILBY) I searched for this signal using a model containing a glint and found the limit of how large the amplitude of the glint would have to be to be inconsistent with a GW containing no glint. I then plotted these points vs the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of each event.
Recommended Citation
Van Keuren, Michael; Wade, Leslie; and Wade, Madeline, "Determining Minimum Detectable Amplitude of Gravitational Wave Glints with LIGO" (2023). Kenyon Summer Science Scholars Program. Paper 668.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/summerscienceprogram/668
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