Modeling the Impulsive Noise Component and its Effect on the Operation of a Simple Coherent Network Algorithm for Unmodeled Gravitational Wave Bursts Detection

TL;DR

This paper develops an analytic model for impulsive noise in gravitational wave detectors and evaluates its impact on a coherent network detection algorithm for unmodeled gravitational wave bursts.

Contribution

It introduces a Middleton-style impulsive noise model and analytically characterizes its effect on a specific gravitational wave detection algorithm.

Findings

Impulsive noise significantly affects detection performance.

The analytic model accurately predicts noise impact.

Detector performance degrades with increased impulsive noise.

Abstract

An analytic model a la Middleton of the impulsive noise component in the data of interferometric gravitational wave detectors is proposed, based on an atomic representation of glitches. A fully analytic characterization of the coherent network data analysis algorithm proposed by Rakhmanov and Klimenko is obtained, for the simplest relevant case of triggered detection of unmodeled gravitational wave bursts, using the above noise model. The detector's performance is evaluated under a suitable central-limit hypothesis, and the effects of both the noisiness of the pseudo-templates, and the presence of the impulsive noise component are highlighted.