The rate of binary black hole mergers inferred from advanced LIGO observations surrounding GW150914
- LIGO, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
- Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 (United States)
- Università di Salerno, Fisciano, I-84084 Salerno (Italy)
- University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States)
- LIGO Livingston Observatory, Livingston, LA 70754 (United States)
- Laboratoire d’Annecy-le-Vieux de Physique des Particules (LAPP), Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS/IN2P3, F-74941 Annecy-le-Vieux (France)
- Albert-Einstein-Institut, Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, D-30167 Hannover (Germany)
- Nikhef, Science Park, 1098 XG Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, 12227-010 São José dos Campos, São Paulo (Brazil)
- INFN, Gran Sasso Science Institute, I-67100 L’Aquila (Italy)
- Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune 411007 (India)
- International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore 560012 (India)
A transient gravitational-wave signal, GW150914, was identified in the twin Advanced LIGO detectors on 2015 September 2015 at 09:50:45 UTC. To assess the implications of this discovery, the detectors remained in operation with unchanged configurations over a period of 39 days around the time of the signal. At the detection statistic threshold corresponding to that observed for GW150914, our search of the 16 days of simultaneous two-detector observational data is estimated to have a false-alarm rate (FAR) of <4.9×10{sup −6} yr{sup −1}, yielding a p-value for GW150914 of <2×10{sup −7}. Parameter estimation follow-up on this trigger identifies its source as a binary black hole (BBH) merger with component masses (m{sub 1},m{sub 2})=(36{sub −4}{sup +5},29{sub −4}{sup +4}) M{sub ⊙} at redshift z=0.09{sub −0.04}{sup +0.03} (median and 90% credible range). Here, we report on the constraints these observations place on the rate of BBH coalescences. Considering only GW150914, assuming that all BBHs in the universe have the same masses and spins as this event, imposing a search FAR threshold of 1 per 100 years, and assuming that the BBH merger rate is constant in the comoving frame, we infer a 90% credible range of merger rates between 2--53 Gpc{sup −3} yr{sup −1} (comoving frame). Incorporating all search triggers that pass a much lower threshold while accounting for the uncertainty in the astrophysical origin of each trigger, we estimate a higher rate, ranging from 13--600 Gpc{sup −3} yr{sup −1} depending on assumptions about the BBH mass distribution. All together, our various rate estimates fall in the conservative range 2--600 Gpc{sup −3} yr{sup −1}.
- OSTI ID:
- 22868410
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 833, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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