PyCBC Live: Rapid Detection of Gravitational Waves from Compact Binary Mergers

TL;DR

PyCBC Live is a rapid, low-latency gravitational wave detection method that enables timely alerts for electromagnetic follow-up and was crucial in analyzing key events like GW170817 during LIGO's second observing run.

Contribution

The paper presents a new efficient technique for real-time gravitational wave detection that improves speed and sky localization capabilities during multi-detector observations.

Findings

Enabled rapid alerts for gravitational wave events

Achieved precise sky localization for GW170817

Contributed to the discovery of GW170104 and GW170608

Abstract

We introduce an efficient and straightforward technique for rapidly detecting gravitational waves from compact binary mergers. We show that this method achieves the low latencies required to alert electromagnetic partners of candidate binary mergers, aids in data monitoring, and makes use of multidetector networks for sky localization. This approach was instrumental to the analysis of gravitational-wave candidates during the second observing run of Advanced LIGO, including the period of coincident operation with Advanced Virgo, and in particular the analysis of the first observed binary neutron star merger GW170817, where it led to the first tightly localized sky map ($31~\mathrm{deg}^2$) used to identify AT 2017gfo. Operation of this analysis also enabled the initial discovery of GW170104 and GW170608 despite non-nominal observing of the instrument.