All-sky search algorithms for monochromatic signals in resonant bar GW detector data

TL;DR

This paper develops and compares filtering algorithms for detecting long-duration monochromatic gravitational wave signals in resonant bar detector data, focusing on statistical performance and improved signal-to-noise ratios.

Contribution

It introduces new filtering strategies based on phase estimation for resonant bar GW data analysis, demonstrating improved detection performance over traditional spectral methods.

Findings

Phase estimation-based approach yields higher SNR.

Statistical properties of methods are analyzed.

Threshold-crossing criteria are established for candidate selection.

Abstract

In this paper we design and develop several filtering strategies for the analysis of data generated by a resonant bar Gravitational Wave (GW) antenna, with the goal to assess the presence (or absence) in them of long duration monochromatic GW signals, as well as their eventual amplitude and frequency, within the sensitivity band of the detector. Such signals are most likely generated in the fast rotation of slightly asymmetric spinning stars. We shall develop the practical procedures, together with the study of their statistical properties, which will provide us with useful information on each technique's performance. The selection of candidate events will then be established according to threshold-crossing probabilities, based on the Neyman-Pearson criterion. In particular, it will be shown that our approach, based on phase estimation, presents better signal-to-noise ratio than the most common one of pure spectral analysis.