Gravitational-wave astronomy with a physical calibration model

Document #:

LIGO-P2000294-v6

Document type:

P - Publications

Abstract:

We carry out astrophysical inference for compact binary merger events in LIGO-Virgo's first gravitational-wave transient catalog (GWTC-1) using a physically motivated calibration model.
We demonstrate that importance sampling can be used to reduce the cost of what would otherwise be a computationally challenging analysis.
We show that including the physical estimate for the calibration error distribution has negligible impact on the inference of parameters for the events in GWTC-1.
Studying a simulated signal with matched filter signal-to-noise ratio $\text{SNR}=200$, we project that a calibration error estimate typical of GWTC-1 is likely to be negligible for the current generation of gravitational-wave detectors.
We argue that other sources of systematic error---from waveforms, prior distributions, and noise modelling---are likely to be more important.
Finally, using the events in GWTC-1 as standard sirens, we infer an astrophysically-informed improvement on the estimate of the calibration error in the LIGO interferometers.

https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.102.122004

Payne, Ethan, et al. "Gravitational-wave astronomy with a physical calibration model." Physical Review D 102.12 (2020): 122004.

Files in Document:

• PhysRevD.102.122004.pdf (3.4 MB)

Topics:

• Compact Binaries
• Calibration

Authors:

• Ethan Payne
• Colm Talbot
• Paul Lasky
• Eric Thrane
• Jeffrey Kissel

Keywords:

calibration parameter estimation inference reweighting importance sampling

Notes and Changes:

Now corresponds to PRD journal version

Referenced by:

• LIGO-E1500442: aLIGO, CAL, Publications