Updates to the Fermi-GBM Short GRB Targeted Offline Search in Preparation for LIGO's Second Observing Run

TL;DR

This paper describes enhancements to the Fermi-GBM offline search for short gamma-ray bursts coincident with LIGO gravitational wave events, improving detection capabilities for LIGO's second observing run.

Contribution

The paper introduces specific updates to the Fermi-GBM search algorithm and compares its performance across LIGO O1 and O2 data.

Findings

Improved ranking statistics for detection confidence.

Reduced false alarm rates in the updated search.

Enhanced sensitivity to coincident signals.

Abstract

We detail the improvements made to the targeted offline search of Fermi-GBM data for coincident signals to LIGO gravitational wave triggers. Description of the changes are included, as well as comparisons between the ranking statistics and False Alarm Rate distributions for the search during LIGO O1 and O2.