Parameter estimation for binary neutron-star coalescences with realistic noise during the Advanced LIGO era

Abstract

Advanced ground-based gravitational-wave (GW) detectors begin operation imminently. Their intended goal is not only to make the first direct detection of GWs, but also to make inferences about the source systems. Binary neutron-star mergers are among the most promising sources. We investigate the performance of the parameter-estimation \edit{(PE)} pipeline that will be used during the first observing run of the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (aLIGO) in 2015: we concentrate on the ability to reconstruct the source location on the sky, but also consider the ability to measure masses and the distance. Accurate, rapid sky-localization is necessary to alert electromagnetic (EM) observatories so that they can perform follow-up searches for counterpart transient events. We consider PE accuracy in the presence of \edit{non-stationary}, non-Gaussian noise. We find that the character of the noise makes negligible difference to the PE performance \edit{at a given signal-to-noise ratio}. The source luminosity distance can only be poorly constrained, the median $90\%$ ($50\%$) credible interval scaled with respect to the true distance is $0.85$ ($0.38$). However, the chirp mass is well measured. Our chirp-mass estimates are subject to systematic error because we used gravitational-waveform templates without component spin to carry out inference on signals with moderate spins, but the total error is typically less than $10^{-3}{M}_{\odot }$. The median $90\%$ ($50\%$) credible region for sky localization is $\sim 600\mathrm{de}{\mathrm{g}}^2$ ($\sim 150\mathrm{de}{\mathrm{g}}^2$), with $3\%$ ($30\%$) of detected events localized within $100\mathrm{de}{\mathrm{g}}^2$. Early aLIGO, with only two detectors, will have a sky-localization accuracy for binary neutron stars of hundreds of square degrees; this makes EM follow-up challenging, but not impossible.

21 pages, 24 figures. Matches published version. Data release at http://www.ligo.org/scientists/first2years/

References in corpus (19)

• Advanced Virgo: a 2nd generation interferometric gravitational wave detector
• Robust parameter estimation for compact binaries with ground-based gravitational-wave observations using the LALInference software library
• Gravitational-wave sensitivity curves
• Comparison of post-Newtonian templates for compact binary inspiral signals in gravitational-wave detectors
• Use and Abuse of the Fisher Information Matrix in the Assessment of Gravitational-Wave Parameter-Estimation Prospects
• LISA detections of massive black hole inspirals: parameter extraction errors due to inaccurate template waveforms
• The First Two Years of Electromagnetic Follow-Up with Advanced LIGO and Virgo
• Neutron-powered precursors of kilonovae
• Detecting binary neutron star systems with spin in advanced gravitational-wave detectors
• Gravitational-Wave Astronomy with Inspiral Signals of Spinning Compact-Object Binaries
• Accelerated gravitational-wave parameter estimation with reduced order modeling
• Parameter estimation of spinning binary inspirals using Markov-chain Monte Carlo
• Degeneracies in Sky Localisation Determination from a Spinning Coalescing Binary through Gravitational Wave Observations: a Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo Analysis for two Detectors
• Parameter estimation on compact binary coalescences with abruptly terminating gravitational waveforms
• A Bayesian approach to multi-messenger astronomy: Identification of gravitational-wave host galaxies
• Search for gravitational waves associated with gamma-ray bursts detected by the InterPlanetary Network
• Galaxy Survey On The Fly: Prospects of Rapid Galaxy Cataloging to Aid the Electromagnetic Follow-up of Gravitational-wave Observations
• Composite gravitational-wave detection of compact binary coalescence
• The needle in the hundred square degree haystack: The hunt for binary neutron star mergers with LIGO and Palomar Transient Factory

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Gravitational waves from f-modes excited by the inspiral of highly eccentric neutron star binaries
• On similarity of binary black hole gravitational-wave skymaps: to observe or to wait?
• Using Galaxy Formation Simulations to optimise LIGO Follow-Up Observations
• Geographic and seasonal influences on optical followup of gravitational wave events