# First search for long-duration transient gravitational waves after glitches in the Vela and Crab pulsars

## TL;DR

This study conducted the first search for long-duration gravitational wave signals triggered by pulsar glitches in Vela and Crab pulsars, setting upper limits and demonstrating potential for future constraints with improved detectors.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel search method for long-duration GW transients associated with pulsar glitches and applies it to real data from Vela and Crab pulsars.

## Key findings

- No credible GW signals detected.
- Set 90% upper limits on GW strain for different transient durations.
- Approached the energy limits for the Vela glitch with current sensitivity.

## Abstract

Gravitational waves (GWs) can offer a novel window into the structure and dynamics of neutron stars. Here we present the first search for long-duration quasi-monochromatic GW transients triggered by pulsar glitches. We focus on two glitches observed in radio timing of the Vela pulsar (PSR J0835-4510) on 12 December 2016 and the Crab pulsar (PSR J0534+2200) on 27 March 2017, during the Advanced LIGO second observing run (O2). We assume the GW frequency lies within a narrow band around twice the spin frequency as known from radio observatons. Using the fully-coherent transient-enabled F-statistic method to search for transients of up to four months in length. We find no credible GW candidates for either target, and through simulated signal injections we set 90% upper limits on (constant) GW strain as a function of transient duration. For the larger Vela glitch, we come close to beating an indirect upper limit for when the total energy liberated in the glitch would be emitted as GWs, thus demonstrating that similar post-glitch searches at improved detector sensitivity can soon yield physical constraints on glitch models.