Searching for continuous gravitational wave signals: the hierarchical Hough transform algorithm

TL;DR

This paper discusses a hierarchical Hough transform algorithm designed for searching continuous gravitational wave signals, addressing computational challenges in analyzing large parameter spaces with upcoming gravitational wave detector data.

Contribution

It introduces a specific implementation of a three-step hierarchical Hough transform algorithm for gravitational wave data analysis, focusing on practical aspects.

Findings

Algorithm is suitable for large parameter space searches.

Implementation details optimize computational efficiency.

Applicable to upcoming gravitational wave detector data.

Abstract

It is well known that matched filtering techniques cannot be applied for searching extensive parameter space volumes for continuous gravitational wave signals. This is the reason why alternative strategies are being pursued. Hierarchical strategies are best at investigating a large parameter space when there exist computational power constraints. Algorithms of this kind are being implemented by all the groups that are developing software for analyzing the data of the gravitational wave detectors that will come online in the next years. In this talk we will report about the hierarchical Hough transform method that the GEO 600 data analysis team at the Albert Einstein Institute is developing. The three step hierarchical algorithm has been described elsewhere. In this talk we will focus on some of the implementational aspects we are currently concerned with.