Directed searches for continuous gravitational waves from binary systems: parameter-space metrics and optimal Scorpius X-1 sensitivity

TL;DR

This paper derives analytic phase metrics for continuous gravitational wave searches in binary systems, compares predictions with simulations, and estimates the sensitivity of future searches for Scorpius X-1 with advanced detectors.

Contribution

It provides new analytic expressions for phase metrics in low-eccentricity binary systems, extending previous work and enabling better sensitivity estimates for gravitational wave searches.

Findings

Metrics agree with simulations within 10-30%.

Optimal sensitivity could surpass torque-balance up to 500-600 Hz.

Sensitivity estimates depend on orbital eccentricity constraints.

Abstract

We derive simple analytic expressions for the (coherent and semi-coherent) phase metrics of continuous-wave sources in low-eccentricity binary systems, both for the long-segment and short- segment regimes (compared to the orbital period). The resulting expressions correct and extend previous results found in the literature. We present results of extensive Monte-Carlo studies comparing metric mismatch predictions against the measured loss of detection statistic for binary parameter offsets. The agreement is generally found to be within ~ 10%-30%. As an application of the metric template expressions, we estimate the optimal achievable sensitivity of an Einstein@Home directed search for Scorpius X-1, under the assumption of sufficiently small spin wandering. We find that such a search, using data from the upcoming advanced detectors, would be able to beat the torque- balance level [1,2] up to a frequency of ~ 500 - 600 Hz, if orbital eccentricity is well-constrained, and up to a frequency of ~ 160 - 200 Hz for more conservative assumptions about the uncertainty on orbital eccentricity.