Guiding interferometer improvements with the frequency-dependent inspiral range

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new metric for the frequency-dependent inspiral range of gravitational-wave interferometers, aiding in their performance assessment and guiding improvements.

Contribution

It provides a formalism for frequency-dependent inspiral range and methods to compare noise curves, enhancing interferometer commissioning strategies.

Findings

The new metric offers a clearer performance comparison.

Methods enable effective noise curve evaluation.

Guides improvements in interferometer sensitivity.

Abstract

The inspiral range is the most common metric for characterizing the performance of ground-based gravitational-wave interferometers. However, there is no clear formalism for working with frequency-dependent inspiral range quantities. We introduce a metric for the cumulative normalized range of a gravitational-wave interferometer, as well as methods to compare two separate noise curves. We show how this metric is a valuable tool for guiding the commissioning of these interferometers and provides increased clarity compared to other commonly used approaches.