All-sky incoherent search for periodic signals with Explorer 2005 data

TL;DR

This paper reports an all-sky incoherent search for periodic gravitational wave signals using 2005 Explorer data, setting upper limits on strain amplitude but finding no candidates.

Contribution

It introduces an all-sky incoherent search method applied to Explorer data, covering a wide frequency range and sky positions without considering orbital corrections or spindown.

Findings

No gravitational wave candidates detected.

Established an upper limit of 3.1 x 10^{-23} for strain amplitude.

Search sensitivity to isolated neutron stars with minimal frequency drift.

Abstract

The data collected during 2005 by the resonant bar Explorer are divided into segments and incoherently summed in order to perform an all-sky search for periodic gravitational wave signals. The parameter space of the search spanned about 40 Hz in frequency, over 23927 positions in the sky. Neither source orbital corrections nor spindown parameters have been included, with the result that the search was sensible to isolated neutron stars with a frequency drift less than 6 X 10^{-11} Hz/s. No gravitational wave candidates have been found by means of the present analysis, which led to a best upper limit of 3.1 X 10^{-23} for the dimensionless strain amplitude.