Beating the spin-down limit on gravitational wave emission from the crab pulsar

Authors

B. Abbott, Lomonosov Moscow State University
R. Abbott, LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
R. Adhikari, LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
P. Ajith, Andrews University
B. Allen, Andrews University
G. Allen, Syracuse University
R. Amin, Louisiana Tech University
S. B. Anderson, LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
W. G. Anderson, Washington State University Pullman
M. A. Arain, University of Glasgow
M. Araya, LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
H. Armandula, LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
P. Armor, Washington State University Pullman
Y. Aso, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott
S. Aston, University of Florida
P. Aufmuth, California Institute of Technology
C. Aulbert, Andrews University
S. Babak, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
S. Ballmer, LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
H. Bantilan, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga
B. C. Barish, LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
C. Barker, LIGO Livingston
D. Barker, LIGO Livingston
B. Barr, University of Maryland, College Park
P. Barriga, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
M. A. Barton, University of Maryland, College Park
M. Bastarrika, University of Maryland, College Park
K. Bayer, LIGO Hanford
J. Betzwieser, LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
P. T. Beyersdorf, Sonoma State University
I. A. Bilenko, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
G. Billingsley, LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
R. Biswas, Washington State University Pullman

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2008

Abstract

We present direct upper limits on gravitational wave emission from the Crab pulsar using data from the first 9 months of the fifth science run of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). These limits are based on two searches. In the first we assume that the gravitational wave emission follows the observed radio timing, giving an upper limit on gravitational wave emission that beats indirect limits inferred from the spin-down and braking index of the pulsar and the energetics of the nebula. In the second we allow for a small mismatch between the gravitational and radio signal frequencies and interpret our results in the context of two possible gravitational wave emission mechanisms.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Astrophysical Journal

Recommended Citation

Abbott, B., Abbott, R., Adhikari, R., Ajith, P., Allen, B., Allen, G., Amin, R., Anderson, S., Anderson, W., Arain, M., Araya, M., Armandula, H., Armor, P., Aso, Y., Aston, S., Aufmuth, P., Aulbert, C., Babak, S., Ballmer, S., Bantilan, H., Barish, B., Barker, C., Barker, D., Barr, B., Barriga, P., Barton, M., Bastarrika, M., Bayer, K., Betzwieser, J., Beyersdorf, P., Bilenko, I., Billingsley, G., & Biswas, R. (2008). Beating the spin-down limit on gravitational wave emission from the crab pulsar. Astrophysical Journal, 684 (1 PART 2) https://doi.org/10.1086/592108