Publication
Title
GWTC-2 : compact binary coalescences observed by LIGO and Virgo during the first half of the third observing run
Author
Institution/Organisation
LIGO Sci Collaboration
Virgo Collaboration
Abstract
We report on gravitational-wave discoveries from compact binary coalescences detected by Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo in the first half of the third observing run (O3a) between 1 April 2019 15: 00 UTC and 1 October 2019 15: 00 UTC. By imposing a false-alarm-rate threshold of two per year in each of the four search pipelines that constitute our search, we present 39 candidate gravitational-wave events. At this threshold, we expect a contamination fraction of less than 10%. Of these, 26 candidate events were reported previously in near-real time through gamma-ray coordinates network notices and circulars; 13 are reported here for the first time. The catalog contains events whose sources are black hole binary mergers up to a redshift of approximately 0.8, as well as events whose components cannot be unambiguously identified as black holes or neutron stars. For the latter group, we are unable to determine the nature based on estimates of the component masses and spins from gravitational-wave data alone. The range of candidate event masses which are unambiguously identified as binary black holes (both objects >= 3 M-circle dot) is increased compared to GWTC-1, with total masses from approximately 14 M-circle dot for GW190924_021846 to approximately 150 M-circle dot for GW190521. For the first time, this catalog includes binary systems with significantly asymmetric mass ratios, which had not been observed in data taken before April 2019. We also find that 11 of the 39 events detected since April 2019 have positive effective inspiral spins under our default prior (at 90% credibility), while none exhibit negative effective inspiral spin. Given the increased sensitivity of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo, the detection of 39 candidate events in approximately 26 weeks of data (approximately 1.5 per week) is consistent with GWTC-1.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Physical review X / American Physical Society. - College Park, Md, 2011, currens
Publication
College Park, Md : American Physical Society , 2021
ISSN
2160-3308
DOI
10.1103/PHYSREVX.11.021053
Volume/pages
11 :2 (2021) , 52 p.
Article Reference
021053
ISI
000661891000001
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 30.07.2021
Last edited 04.03.2025
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