Detector configuration of DECIGO/BBO and identification of cosmological neutron-star binaries

TL;DR

This paper analyzes optimal detector configurations for DECIGO/BBO to identify neutron star binary signals, crucial for removing astrophysical foregrounds in primordial gravitational wave background detection.

Contribution

It provides analytical and numerical methods to optimize detector geometry and sensitivity for identifying neutron star binaries in space-based gravitational wave observatories.

Findings

Standard detector network can detect NS/NS binaries at z≤5 with high SNR.

Optimal geometrical parameters improve binary signal identification.

DECIGO's sensitivity needs to meet certain thresholds for effective foreground removal.

Abstract

The primary target for the planned space-borne gravitational wave interferometers DECIGO/BBO is a primordial gravitational wave background (PGWB). However there exist astrophysical foregrounds and among them, gravitational waves from neutron star (NS) binaries are the solid and strong component that must be identified and subtracted. In this paper, we discuss the geometry of detector configurations preferable for identifying the NS/NS binary signals. As a first step, we analytically estimate the minimum signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of the binaries for several static detector configurations that are characterized by adjustable geometrical parameters, and determine the optimal values for these parameters. Next we perform numerical simulations to take into account the effect of detector motions, and find reasonable agreements with the analytical results. We show that, with the standard network formed by 4 units of triangle detectors, the proposed BBO sensitivity would be sufficient in receiving gravitational waves from all the NS/NS binaries at $z\le 5$ with SNRs higher than 25. We also discuss the minimum sensitivity of DECIGO required for the foreground identification.