Model-independent search of gravitational wave echoes in LVK data

TL;DR

This paper develops a model-independent method to search for gravitational wave echoes in LVK data, aiming to detect signals from near-horizon structures of black holes without relying on specific waveform models.

Contribution

The authors introduce a generalized phase-marginalized likelihood framework that enhances sensitivity to long-lived QNMs and applies it to real data, setting the first model-independent constraints on gravitational wave echoes.

Findings

No significant evidence for echoes was detected.

The method reliably recovers signals in realistic noise conditions.

Upper limits on echo amplitudes were established for multiple events.

Abstract

Gravitational wave echoes offer a unique probe of the near-horizon structure of astrophysical black holes, beyond the standard ''black hole spectroscopy''. Theoretical waveform predictions, however, remain uncertain, motivating robust searches that avoid specific echo modeling. We present a model-independent search framework targeting long-lived quasinormal modes (QNMs) expected from strong interior reflection. By employing a generalized phase-marginalized likelihood that coherently combines data for each QNM across a detector network, our method enhances sensitivity to the signals. To handle real detector noise, we implement an optimized notching procedure to suppress instrumental spectral lines and refine the Bayesian parameter settings. We validate the performance of this framework using injection studies on O1 background data, demonstrating reliable signal recovery in realistic noise conditions. We then apply this method to three binary black hole merger events with high ringdown signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) from observing runs O1 to O4: GW150914, GW231226, and the recently detected GW250114. No statistically significant evidence for postmerger echoes is found. Consequently, we derive 90% upper limits on the network SNR and the average amplitude of the long-lived QNMs, setting the first model-independent constraints on late-time echo signatures from LVK data.