Directional Limits on Persistent Gravitational Waves Using LIGO S5 Science Data

Chua, Sheon; Inta, Ra; McClelland, David; Mow-Lowry, C; Mullavey, Adam; Satterthwaite, Matthew; Scott, Susan M; Shaddock, Daniel; Slagmolen, Bram; Wette, Karl; Abadie, J; Abbott, B; Abbott, Robert; Adhikari, Rana; Billingsley, G; Black, E; Blackburn, James Kent; Bork, R; DeSalvo, R; Ehrens, P; LIGO , Scientific Collaboration (700 Scientists); Heefner, J; Hosken, Dave; Hough, J; Howell, E; Ivanov, A

Directional Limits on Persistent Gravitational Waves Using LIGO S5 Science Data

Date

2011

Authors

Chua, Sheon

Inta, Ra

McClelland, David

Mow-Lowry, C

Mullavey, Adam

Satterthwaite, Matthew

Scott, Susan M

Shaddock, Daniel

Slagmolen, Bram

Wette, Karl

Publisher

American Physical Society

Abstract

The gravitational-wave (GW) sky may include nearby pointlike sources as well as stochastic backgrounds. We perform two directional searches for persistent GWs using data from the LIGO S5 science run: one optimized for pointlike sources and one for arbitrary extended sources. Finding no evidence to support the detection of GWs, we present 90% confidence level (C.L.) upper-limit maps of GW strain power with typical values between 2-20×10 -50strain2Hz -1 and 5-35×10 -49strain2Hz -1sr -1 for pointlike and extended sources, respectively. The latter result is the first of its kind. We also set 90% C.L. limits on the narrow-band root-mean-square GW strain from interesting targets including Sco X-1, SN 1987A and the Galactic center as low as 7×10 -25 in the most sensitive frequency range near 160 Hz.