LOOC-UP: Seeking Optical Counterparts to Gravitational-Wave Signal Candidates

Document #:

LIGO-G0900916-v2

Document type:

G - Presentations (eg Graphics)

Abstract:

The large gravitational-wave detectors in the U.S. and Europe are now collecting data and searching for the gravitational signatures of compact binary mergers, stellar core collapse, black hole creation, and other highly energetic astrophysical events. One part of this effort is an attempt to Locate and Observe Optical Counterparts to Unmodeled Pulses of gravitational waves, by enlisting wide-field optical telescopes to promptly capture images of the sky positions reconstructed for gravitational-wave signal candidates. A transient optical counterpart, if detected, could help confirm a signal candidate as a real event and would yield valuable information about the progenitor and the astrophysics of the event. This poster will describe the methods and current operation of the LOOC-UP project.

Files in Document:

• LoocUpPoster.pdf (1.4 MB)

Other Files:

• LoocUpPoster.ppt (1.6 MB)

Topics:

• Astrophysics / Multi-messenger

Authors:

• Peter Shawhan

Notes and Changes:

Revised after comments by Jonah and Szabi, plus other editing / format tweaking