Implementing a semicoherent search for continuous gravitational waves using optimally-constructed template banks

TL;DR

This paper introduces Weave, a new semicoherent search method for continuous gravitational waves that optimally constructs template banks using a parameter-space metric to reduce computational costs.

Contribution

The paper presents Weave, a novel implementation that fully utilizes a parameter-space metric and optimal lattices for efficient template bank generation in gravitational wave searches.

Findings

Weave reduces the number of templates needed for searches.

It improves computational efficiency in continuous gravitational wave detection.

The method is validated through semi-analytic models.

Abstract

All-sky surveys for isolated continuous gravitational waves present a significant data-analysis challenge. Semicoherent search methods are commonly used to efficiently perform the computationally-intensive task of searching for these weak signals in the noisy data of gravitational-wave detectors such as LIGO and Virgo. We present a new implementation of a semicoherent search method, Weave, that for the first time makes full use of a parameter-space metric to generate banks of search templates at the correct resolution, combined with optimal lattices to minimize the required number of templates and hence the computational cost of the search. We describe the implementation of Weave and associated design choices, and characterize its behavior using semi-analytic models.