# Sensitivity improvements in the search for periodic gravitational waves using O1 LIGO data

## TL;DR

This paper presents a significant advancement in continuous gravitational wave searches using LIGO O1 data, demonstrating improved sensitivity and setting new upper limits in the 100-200 Hz band, with implications for detecting signals like boson condensates.

## Contribution

The study introduces the Falcon search method, achieving sensitivity improvements with manageable computational costs for broad-parameter space searches in gravitational wave data.

## Key findings

- Achieved sensitivity improvements consistent with longer coherence lengths.
- Set the most stringent upper limits in the 100-200 Hz frequency band.
- Provided detailed outlier lists and upper limits for small spindown signals.

## Abstract

We demonstrate a breakthrough in the capabilities of robust, broad-parameter space searches for continuous gravitational waves. With a large scale search for continuous gravitational waves on the O1 LIGO data, we prove that our Falcon search achieves the sensitivity improvements expected from the use of a long coherence length, while maintaining the computational expense within manageable bounds. On this data we set the most constraining upper limits in the gravitational wave amplitude in the band 100-200 Hz. We provide full outlier lists and upper limits near 0-spindown band suitable for analysis of signals with small spindown such as boson condensates around black holes.