Phys. Rev. D 69, 122001 (2004) [16 pages]

Analysis of LIGO data for gravitational waves from binary neutron stars

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B. Abbott et al. (LIGO Scientific Collaboration)
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Received 6 October 2003; published 2 June 2004

We report on a search for gravitational waves from coalescing compact binary systems in the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds. The analysis uses data taken by two of the three LIGO interferometers during the first LIGO science run and illustrates a method of setting upper limits on inspiral event rates using interferometer data. The analysis pipeline is described with particular attention to data selection and coincidence between the two interferometers. We establish an observational upper limit of R<1.7×102 per year per Milky Way Equivalent Galaxy (MWEG), with 90% confidence, on the coalescence rate of binary systems in which each component has a mass in the range 1–3 M.


©2004 The American Physical Society

URL: http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevD.69.122001
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.69.122001
PACS: 95.85.Sz, 04.80.Nn, 07.05.Kf, 97.80.-d

* Currently at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.
Permanent address: HP Laboratories.
Currently at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.
§ Currently at University of California, Los Angeles.
** Currently at Hofstra University.
†† Currently at Siemens AG.
‡‡ Permanent address: GReCO, Institut d’ Astrophysique de Paris (CNRS).
Currently at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
a Currently at National Science Foundation.
b Currently at University of Sheffield.
c Currently at Ball Aerospace Corporation.
d Currently at European Gravitational Observatory.
e Currently at Intel Corp.
f Currently at Lightconnect Inc.
g Currently at Keck Observatory.
h Currently at ESA Science and Technology Center.
i Currently at Raytheon Corporation.
j Currently at Mission Research Corporation.
k Currently at Harvard University.
l Currently at Lockheed-Martin Corporation.
m Currently at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
n Permanent Address: University of Tokyo, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research.
o Currently at The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.
p Currently at Laboratoire d’Annecy-le-Vieux de Physique des Particules.
q Currently at LIGO - California Institute of Technology.
r Permanent address: University College Dublin.
s Currently at Research Electro-Optics Inc.
t Currently at Institute of Advanced Physics, Baton Rouge, LA.
u Currently at Cardiff University.
v Currently at European Commission, DG Research, Brussels, Belgium.
w Currently at Spectra Physics Corporation.
x Currently at University of Chicago.
y Currently at LightBit Corporation.
z Currently at University of Delaware.
Currently at Carl Zeiss GmbH.
Permanent address: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Currently at Shanghai Astronomical Observatory.
Currently at Laser Zentrum Hannover.
http://www.ligo.org

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