Observing Binary Inspiral with LIGO

TL;DR

This paper discusses the potential for LIGO and VIRGO to observe gravitational waves from binary inspirals, emphasizing the scientific questions these observations could address.

Contribution

It reviews the prospects and scientific questions related to observing binary inspiral signals with gravitational wave detectors.

Findings

Binary inspiral is the most promising source for LIGO/VIRGO detection.

Detector sensitivity and source distribution influence observation likelihood.

Impending observations will raise key theoretical questions.

Abstract

Gravitational radiation from a binary neutron star or black hole system leads to orbital decay and the eventual coalescence of the binary's components. During the last several minutes before the binary components coalesce, the radiation will enter the bandwidth of the United States Laser Inteferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and the French/Italian VIRGO gravitational radiation detector. The combination of detector sensitivity, signal strength, and source density and distribution all point to binary inspiral as the most likely candidate for observation among all the anticipated sources of gravitational radiation for LIGO/VIRGO. Here I review briefly some of the questions that are posed to theorists by the impending observation of binary inspiral.