Identification and Interpretation of Gravitational-Wave Signals in LIGO Data

University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee WI

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports research in gravitational wave detector data analysis, and it addresses the priority areas of NSF's "Windows on the Universe" Big Idea. With the gravitational wave detection of the coalescence of a binary neutron star system by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) on August 17, 2017, the near-simultaneous detection of gamma-ray emission from the same region of the sky by Fermi, and the highly successful followup of the electromagnetic counterpart from X-rays to radio waves, the era of multimessenger gravitational-wave astronomy began. The Advanced LIGO detectors are now in their third observing run. In coordination with the European Virgo detector and eventually the Japanese KAGRA detector, this network of gravitational wave observatories will survey the universe with unprecedented sensitivity. A trove of new discoveries is at hand. This grant supports the research activities of the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee (UWM) LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC) group. The overarching theme is gravitational-wave astronomy with an emphasis on activities that are on the critical path for the scientific success of LIGO and its full participation in multimessenger transient astronomy. This project brings highly-engaged faculty with a proven track record in gravitational physics, astrophysics, data analysis, education and outreach together with undergraduates, graduate students and postdocs in a close collaborative environment to deliver science at the dawn of multimessenger gravitational-wave astronomy. This project supports the creation of critical components of a system that will allow the rapid transmittal of gravitational-wave observations to the entire community of astronomers via open public alerts, and facilitates the integration of gravitational-wave science into the broader field of astrophysics. The excitement of this budding branch of astronomy is brought to the community through outreach efforts such as the UWM Planetarium. The UWM LSC group will deliver several critical elements to a low-latency, streaming search for transient gravitational waves, including those produced during the coalescence of binary neutron stars and/or black holes. Among the data analysis elements that will be developed and operated are the online search for signals from compact binary coalescence, a near real-time source classification system, and a rapid parameter estimation utility. A system to rapidly identify signals will be an essential element of gravitational-wave science in the era of multimessenger astronomy in which observations of several kinds (gravitational waves; electromagnetic waves; high energy particles) are synthesized to obtain a detailed understanding of the sources of the most cataclysmic events in the universe. Gravitational-wave astronomy will reveal the inner mechanism of gamma-ray bursts, will provide a means to measure the population of black holes and determine the channel by which massive black holes are grown, and will probe the fundamental nature of matter above nuclear densities. New ways of measuring cosmological parameters will become available, which will complement existing observations. To this end, this project supports work, identified as critical path in the LSC Data Analysis White Paper and the LSC Program, that will result in gravitational-wave detections of binary coalescence, provide rapid sky localization and parameter estimation to facilitate electromagnetic follow-up efforts, yield fast turn-around targeted searches prompted by triggers generated by other observational facilities, obtain the nuclear equation of state by measuring the tidal interactions of binary neutron stars just prior to their merger, and exploit gravitational wave observations to measure various cosmological parameters. 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.