Coherent Waveform Consistency Test for LIGO Burst Candidates

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the r-statistic coherent waveform consistency test in LIGO's burst search, demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing false alarms and detecting simulated gravitational wave bursts during the second science run.

Contribution

It provides a performance assessment of the r-statistic test for triple coincidence events, highlighting its background suppression and detection efficiency capabilities.

Findings

Effective in suppressing false background events

High efficiency in detecting simulated bursts

Suitable for use in LIGO's burst detection pipeline

Abstract

The burst search in LIGO relies on the coincident detection of transient signals in multiple interferometers. As only minimal assumptions are made about the event waveform or duration, the analysis pipeline requires loose coincidence in time, frequency and amplitude. Confidence in the resulting events and their waveform consistency is established through a time-domain coherent analysis: the r-statistic test. This paper presents a performance study of the r-statistic test for triple coincidence events in the second LIGO Science Run (S2), with emphasis on its ability to suppress the background false rate and its efficiency at detecting simulated bursts of different waveforms close to the S2 sensitivity curve.