Method for detection and reconstruction of gravitational wave transients with networks of advanced detectors

TL;DR

This paper introduces an advanced method for detecting and reconstructing gravitational wave transients using networks of detectors, improving localization, polarization analysis, and source identification capabilities.

Contribution

It presents a novel analytic framework and algorithms for GW detection, including a new approach to polarization reconstruction from detector response patterns.

Findings

Enhanced low-latency GW detection and localization

Novel polarization reconstruction method

Improved source identification accuracy

Abstract

We present a method for detection and reconstruction of the gravitational-wave (GW) transients with the networks of advanced detectors. Originally designed to search for transients with the initial GW detectors, it uses significantly improved algorithms, which enhances both the low-latency searches with rapid localization of GW events for the electro-magnetic followup and high confidence detection of a broad range of the transient GW sources. In the paper we present the analytic framework of the method. Following a short description of the core analysis algorithms, we introduce a novel approach to the reconstruction of the GW polarization from a pattern of detector responses to a GW signal. This polarization pattern is a unique signature of an arbitrary GW signal that can be measured independent from the other source parameters. The polarization measurements enable rapid reconstruction of the GW waveforms, sky localization and helps identification of the source origin.