A new method to distinguish gravitational-wave signals from detector noise transients with Gravity Spy

TL;DR

This paper presents a modified Gravity Spy model that effectively differentiates between noise glitches and true gravitational-wave signals, improving candidate event validation in LIGO and Virgo data.

Contribution

It introduces a restructuring of the Gravity Spy classification model to enhance the discrimination between detector noise and astrophysical signals.

Findings

Classifies 75% of retracted events as noise

Identifies 100% of confirmed signals correctly

Supports improved validation in gravitational wave searches

Abstract

The Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors have enabled the confident detection of dozens of mergers of black holes and neutron stars. However, the presence of detector noise transients (glitches) hinders the search for these gravitational wave (GW) signals. We prototyped a restructuring of Gravity Spy's classification model to distinguish between glitches and astrophysical signals. Our method is able to correctly classify three-quarters of retracted candidate events in O3b as non-astrophysical and 100\% of the confirmed astrophysical events as true signals. This approach will inform candidate event validation efforts in the latest observing run.