Searching for a stochastic background of gravitational waves with the laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatory

Authors

B. Abbott, California Institute of Technology
R. Abbott, California Institute of Technology
R. Adhikari, California Institute of Technology
J. Agresti, California Institute of Technology
P. Ajith, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
B. Allen, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
R. Amin, Louisiana State University
S. B. Anderson, California Institute of Technology
W. G. Anderson, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
M. Araya, California Institute of Technology
H. Armandula, California Institute of Technology
M. Ashley, The Australian National University
S. Aston, University of Birmingham
C. Aulbert, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
S. Babak, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
S. Ballmer, LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B. C. Barish, California Institute of Technology
C. Barker, LIGO Hanford
D. Barker, LIGO Hanford
B. Barr, University of Glasgow
P. Barriga, The University of Western Australia
M. A. Barton, California Institute of Technology
K. Bayer, LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
K. Belczynski, Northwestern University
J. Betzwieser, LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
P. Beyersdorf, Stanford University
B. Bhawal, California Institute of Technology
I. A. Bilenko, Lomonosov Moscow State University
G. Billingsley, California Institute of Technology
E. Black, California Institute of Technology
K. Blackburn, California Institute of Technology
L. Blackburn, LIGO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
D. Blair, The University of Western Australia

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-20-2007

Abstract

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) has performed the fourth science run, S4, with significantly improved interferometer sensitivities with respect to previous runs. Using data acquired during this science run, we place a limit on the amplitude of a stochastic background of gravitational waves. For a frequency independent spectrum, the new Bayesian 90% upper limit is ΩGW × [H0/(12 km s-1 Mpc-1)]2 < 6.5 × 10-5. This is currently the most sensitive result in the frequency range 51-150 Hz, with a factor of 13 improvement over the previous LIGO result. We discuss the complementarity of the new result with other constraints on a stochastic background of gravitational waves, and we investigate implications of the new result for different models of this background. © 2007. The American Astronumical Society. All rights reserved.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Astrophysical Journal

First Page

918

Last Page

930

Recommended Citation

Abbott, B., Abbott, R., Adhikari, R., Agresti, J., Ajith, P., Allen, B., Amin, R., Anderson, S., Anderson, W., Araya, M., Armandula, H., Ashley, M., Aston, S., Aulbert, C., Babak, S., Ballmer, S., Barish, B., Barker, C., Barker, D., Barr, B., Barriga, P., Barton, M., Bayer, K., Belczynski, K., Betzwieser, J., Beyersdorf, P., Bhawal, B., Bilenko, I., Billingsley, G., Black, E., Blackburn, K., Blackburn, L., & Blair, D. (2007). Searching for a stochastic background of gravitational waves with the laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatory. Astrophysical Journal, 659 (2 I), 918-930. https://doi.org/10.1086/511329