Detector Characterization and Mitigation of Noise in Ground-Based Gravitational-Wave Interferometers

Abstract

Since the early stages of operation of ground-based gravitational-wave interferometers, careful monitoring of these detectors has been an important component of their successful operation and observations. Characterization of gravitational-wave detectors blends computational and instrumental methods of investigating the detector performance. These efforts focus both on identifying ways to improve detector sensitivity for future observations and understand the non-idealized features in data that has already been recorded. Alongside a focus on the detectors themselves, detector characterization includes careful studies of how astrophysical analyses are affected by different data quality issues. This article presents an overview of the multifaceted aspects of the characterization of interferometric gravitational-wave detectors, including investigations of instrumental performance, characterization of interferometer data quality, and the identification and mitigation of data quality issues that impact analysis of gravitational-wave events. Looking forward, we discuss efforts to adapt current detector characterization methods to meet the changing needs of gravitational-wave astronomy.

Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Backgrounds: Current Detection Efforts and Future Prospects

“…In fact, GWs feature in Equation (11), as a part of the radiation energy density, as they are considered to be carried by massless particles propagating at the speed of light. 1 This allows us to write…”

“…In laying out stochastic background detection techniques, we focus on three categories of detectors: ground-based detector networks, pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) monitored by radio telescopes, and spaceborne detectors comprised of sets of satellites. We do not discuss in detail the impressive work on data acquisition and processing necessary to put the data in the form required for the implementation of the searches we report (see Sections 4 and 5); we refer the reader to several other papers that delineate these efforts (see, e.g., [1][2][3][4][5] for recent discussions of ground-based laser interferometer detector characterization and calibration and [6][7][8] for reviews of PTA experiments).…”

Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Backgrounds: Current Detection Efforts and Future Prospects

“…At this stage, one may ask the following: where do GWs fit in? In fact, GWs feature in Equation (11), as a part of the radiation energy density, as they are considered to be carried by massless particles propagating at the speed of light 1 . This allows us to write…”

“…Red line is an example of the future IPTA with 20 years of observations of 100 pulsars with white noise rms drawn uniformly between 20 and 500 ns. Red noise log 10 A is drawn uniformly from [−14, −20] and γ drawn uniformly from [1,7], a fiducial choice based on [286]. Green lines represent SKA observing 50 pulsars with white noise rms of 30 ns for 15 years, with (solid line) and without (dashed line) red noise assumed for the IPTA.…”

“…In laying out stochastic background detection techniques, we focus on three categories of detectors: ground-based detector networks, pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) monitored by radio telescopes, and spaceborne detectors comprised of sets of satellites. We do not discuss in detail the impressive work on data acquisition and processing necessary to put the data in the form required for the implementation of the searches we report (see Sections 4 and 5); we refer the reader to several other papers that delineate these efforts (see, e.g., [1][2][3][4][5] for recent discussions of ground-based laser interferometer detector characterization and calibration and [6][7][8] for reviews of PTA experiments).…”