Comparison of bar and interferometer sensitivities to sources of transient gravitational radiation

Journal Article · Tue Sep 15 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · Phys. Rev. D; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.36.1577· OSTI ID:6238552

Dewey, D

The signal-to-noise ratios for the detection of gravitational radiation are derived and compared for resonant bar and laser interferometric detectors. The results presented here apply to the detection of transient gravitational radiation as would be emitted in particlendashblack-hole interactions, stellar collapse events, or the decay of compact binary systems. For the detection of fixed-energy gravitational-wave bursts, the bar antenna shows its resonant nature with a sensitivity that is broadly peaked near the bar frequency, while the interferometer response shows a smooth f/sup -1/ dependence. Applied to the detection of the radiation emitted in the decay of a compact binary system, the ratio of bar to interferometer sensitivities is independent of source parameters. Using operational antenna parameters (circa 1985), the 4.2-K Stanford bar (T/sub d/ = 20 mK, M/sub a/ = 4.8 x 10/sup 3/ kg, L/sub a/ = 3 m, f/sub a/ = 840 Hz) is shown to be typically three times more sensitive to transient sources than the 30-m interferometer (h-italic-tilde = 2 x 10/sup -19// ..sqrt..Hz above 500 Hz) at the Max-Planck-Institut fuer Quantenoptik in Garching, West Germany. Additionally, the signal-to-noise ratios calculated here are normalized to represent optimistic Galactic sources (located at 10 kpc, 10/sup -2/ M/sub sun/c/sup 2/ emitted in a gravitational burst) and indicate that both antennas are operating near astrophysically interesting sensitivities with signal-to-noise ratios ranging from 1 to 10 for these sources.

• Research Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
• OSTI ID: 6238552
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. D; (United States) Vol. 36:6; ISSN PRVDA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640106* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmology
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
ANTENNAS
BINARY STARS
BLACK HOLES
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
GALAXIES
GRAVITATIONAL COLLAPSE
GRAVITATIONAL RADIATION
GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DETECTORS
INTERACTIONS
INTERFEROMETERS
LASERS
MASS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NEUTRON STARS
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATIONS
SENSITIVITY
SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO
STARS
WAVE FORMS