Results of the IGEC-2 search for gravitational wave bursts during 2005

TL;DR

This paper reports on the 2005 search for gravitational wave bursts using the IGEC-2 network, which achieved improved sensitivity and bandwidth, but found no candidate signals during the 6-month observation period.

Contribution

First coordinated search for gravitational wave bursts in 2005 with improved detector sensitivity and wider bandwidths, focusing on three-fold coincidences for high confidence detection.

Findings

No gravitational wave candidates detected.

Detector sensitivity improved by a factor of 3.

False detection rate as low as 1 per century.

Abstract

The network of resonant bar detectors of gravitational waves resumed coordinated observations within the International Gravitational Event Collaboration (IGEC-2). Four detectors are taking part in this collaboration: ALLEGRO, AURIGA, EXPLORER and NAUTILUS. We present here the results of the search for gravitational wave bursts over 6 months during 2005, when IGEC-2 was the only gravitational wave observatory in operation. The network data analysis implemented is based on a time coincidence search among AURIGA, EXPLORER and NAUTILUS, keeping the data from ALLEGRO for follow-up studies. With respect to the previous IGEC 1997-2000 observations, the amplitude sensitivity of the detectors to bursts improved by a factor about 3 and the sensitivity bandwidths are wider, so that the data analysis was tuned considering a larger class of detectable waveforms. Thanks to the higher duty cycles of the single detectors, we decided to focus the analysis on three-fold observation, so to ensure the identification of any single candidate of gravitational waves (gw) with high statistical confidence. The achieved false detection rate is as low as 1 per century. No candidates were found.