Detecting Gravitational Wave Memory without Parent Signals

Lucy O. McNeill, Eric Thrane, and Paul D. Lasky
Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 181103 – Published 4 May 2017

Abstract

Gravitational-wave memory manifests as a permanent distortion of an idealized gravitational-wave detector and arises generically from energetic astrophysical events. For example, binary black hole mergers are expected to emit memory bursts a little more than an order of magnitude smaller in strain than the oscillatory parent waves. We introduce the concept of “orphan memory”: gravitational-wave memory for which there is no detectable parent signal. In particular, high-frequency gravitational-wave bursts (kHz) produce orphan memory in the LIGO/Virgo band. We show that Advanced LIGO measurements can place stringent limits on the existence of high-frequency gravitational waves, effectively increasing the LIGO bandwidth by orders of magnitude. We investigate the prospects for and implications of future searches for orphan memory.

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  • Received 6 February 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.181103

© 2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Gravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

Authors & Affiliations

Lucy O. McNeill1, Eric Thrane1,2,*, and Paul D. Lasky1,2

  • 1Monash Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
  • 2OzGrav: The ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational-wave Discovery, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia

  • *eric.thrane@monash.edu

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Issue

Vol. 118, Iss. 18 — 5 May 2017

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