Search for gravitational-wave bursts in the first year of the fifth LIGO science run

• Main Authors: Zucker, Michael E. (Contributor), Wipf, Christopher C. (Contributor), Weiss, Rainer (Contributor), Waldman, Samuel J. (Contributor), Stein, Leo Chaim (Contributor), Stein, Andrew J. (Contributor), Smith, Nicolas de Mateo (Contributor), Shoemaker, David H. (Contributor), Shapiro, B. (Contributor), Sarin, P. (Contributor), Mittleman, Richard K. (Author), Mavalvala, Nergis (Contributor), Mason, Kenneth R. (Contributor), Markowitz, Jared John (Contributor), MacInnis, Myron E. (Contributor), Katsavounidis, Erotokritos (Contributor), Hughey, Brennan J. (Contributor), Harry, Gregory (Contributor), Grimaldi, F. (Contributor), Goda, K. (Contributor), Fritschel, Peter K. (Contributor), Foley, Stephany (Contributor), Evans, Matthew J. (Contributor), Duke, I. (Contributor), Donovan, Frederick J. (Contributor), Corbitt, Thomas R. (Contributor), Cao, Junwei (Contributor), Brunet, G. (Contributor), Bodiya, Timothy Paul (Contributor), Blackburn, Lindy L. (Contributor), Barsotti, Lisa (Contributor)
• Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics (Contributor), MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research (Contributor), Mittleman, Richard K (Contributor)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Physical Society, 2010-03-18T18:19:28Z.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

We present the results obtained from an all-sky search for gravitational-wave (GW) bursts in the 64-2000 Hz frequency range in data collected by the LIGO detectors during the first year (November 2005-November 2006) of their fifth science run. The total analyzed live time was 268.6 days. Multiple hierarchical data analysis methods were invoked in this search. The overall sensitivity expressed in terms of the root-sum-square (rss) strain amplitude h[subscript rss] for gravitational-wave bursts with various morphologies was in the range of 6×10[superscript -22]  Hz[superscript -1/2] to a few×10-[superscript 21]   Hz[superscript -1/2]. No GW signals were observed and a frequentist upper limit of 3.75 events per year on the rate of strong GW bursts was placed at the 90% confidence level. As in our previous searches, we also combined this rate limit with the detection efficiency for selected waveform morphologies to obtain event rate versus strength exclusion curves. In sensitivity, these exclusion curves are the most stringent to date.
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Research Corporation
David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Leverhulme Trust
Carnegie Trust
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Scottish Universities Physics Alliance
Scottish Funding Council
Royal Society, United Kingdom
Conselleria d'Economia Hisenda i Innovació of the Govern de les Illes Balears
Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare of Italy
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research of India
Australian Research Council
State of Niedersachsen in Germany
Max-Planck-Society
Science and Technology Facilities Council of the United Kingdom
National Science Foundation