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Title: Bayesian approach to the study of white dwarf binaries in LISA data: The application of a reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo method

Abstract

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) defines new demands on data analysis efforts in its all-sky gravitational wave survey, recording simultaneously thousands of galactic compact object binary foreground sources and tens to hundreds of background sources like binary black hole mergers and extreme-mass ratio inspirals. We approach this problem with an adaptive and fully automatic Reversible Jump Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampler, able to sample from the joint posterior density function (as established by Bayes theorem) for a given mixture of signals ''out of the box'', handling the total number of signals as an additional unknown parameter beside the unknown parameters of each individual source and the noise floor. We show in examples from the LISA Mock Data Challenge implementing the full response of LISA in its TDI description that this sampler is able to extract monochromatic Double White Dwarf signals out of colored instrumental noise and additional foreground and background noise successfully in a global fitting approach. We introduce 2 examples with fixed number of signals (MCMC sampling), and 1 example with unknown number of signals (RJ-MCMC), the latter further promoting the idea behind an experimental adaptation of the model indicator proposal densities in the main sampling stage. Wemore » note that the experienced runtimes and degeneracies in parameter extraction limit the shown examples to the extraction of a low but realistic number of signals.« less

Authors:
;  [1]
  1. School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21322745
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physical Review. D, Particles Fields
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 80; Journal Issue: 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.80.064032; (c) 2009 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0556-2821
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; BACKGROUND NOISE; BINARY STARS; BLACK HOLES; DATA ANALYSIS; DENSITY; EXTRACTION; GRAVITATIONAL WAVES; INTERFEROMETERS; MARKOV PROCESS; MASS; MONOCHROMATIC RADIATION; MONTE CARLO METHOD; SIMULATION; SPACE; WHITE DWARF STARS

Citation Formats

Stroeer, Alexander, and Veitch, John. Bayesian approach to the study of white dwarf binaries in LISA data: The application of a reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo method. United States: N. p., 2009. Web. doi:10.1103/PHYSREVD.80.064032.
Stroeer, Alexander, & Veitch, John. Bayesian approach to the study of white dwarf binaries in LISA data: The application of a reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo method. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.80.064032
Stroeer, Alexander, and Veitch, John. 2009. "Bayesian approach to the study of white dwarf binaries in LISA data: The application of a reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo method". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.80.064032.
@article{osti_21322745,
title = {Bayesian approach to the study of white dwarf binaries in LISA data: The application of a reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo method},
author = {Stroeer, Alexander and Veitch, John},
abstractNote = {The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) defines new demands on data analysis efforts in its all-sky gravitational wave survey, recording simultaneously thousands of galactic compact object binary foreground sources and tens to hundreds of background sources like binary black hole mergers and extreme-mass ratio inspirals. We approach this problem with an adaptive and fully automatic Reversible Jump Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampler, able to sample from the joint posterior density function (as established by Bayes theorem) for a given mixture of signals ''out of the box'', handling the total number of signals as an additional unknown parameter beside the unknown parameters of each individual source and the noise floor. We show in examples from the LISA Mock Data Challenge implementing the full response of LISA in its TDI description that this sampler is able to extract monochromatic Double White Dwarf signals out of colored instrumental noise and additional foreground and background noise successfully in a global fitting approach. We introduce 2 examples with fixed number of signals (MCMC sampling), and 1 example with unknown number of signals (RJ-MCMC), the latter further promoting the idea behind an experimental adaptation of the model indicator proposal densities in the main sampling stage. We note that the experienced runtimes and degeneracies in parameter extraction limit the shown examples to the extraction of a low but realistic number of signals.},
doi = {10.1103/PHYSREVD.80.064032},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21322745}, journal = {Physical Review. D, Particles Fields},
issn = {0556-2821},
number = 6,
volume = 80,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Sep 15 00:00:00 EDT 2009},
month = {Tue Sep 15 00:00:00 EDT 2009}
}