Effects of waveform model systematics on the interpretation of GW150914
Parameter estimates of GW150914 were obtained using Bayesian inference, based on three semi-analytic waveform models for binary black hole coalescences. These waveform models differ from each other in their treatment of black hole spins, and all three models make some simplifying assumptions, notabl...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2019
|
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122670 |
| _version_ | 1826212371070189568 |
|---|---|
| author | Aggarwal, Nancy Barsotti, Lisa Biscans, Sebastien Brown, N. M. Buikema, Aaron Donovan, Frederick J Eisenstein, Robert Alan Essick, Reed Clasey Evans, Matthew Fernandez-Galiana, A. Fritschel, Peter K Gras, Slawomir Isogai, Tomoki Katsavounidis, Erotokritos Kontos, Antonios Lanza Jr, Robert K Libson, Adam A. Lynch, Ryan Christopher MacInnis, Myron E Martynov, Denis Mason, Kenneth R Matichard, Fabrice Mavalvala, Nergis Miller, John E Mittleman, Richard K Ray Pitambar Mohapatra, Satyanarayan Oelker, Eric Glenn Shoemaker, David H Tse, Maggie Vitale, Salvatore Weiss, Rainer Yam, William Yu, Hang Yu, Haocun Zucker, Michael E LIGO Collaboration Virgo Collaboration |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics Aggarwal, Nancy Barsotti, Lisa Biscans, Sebastien Brown, N. M. Buikema, Aaron Donovan, Frederick J Eisenstein, Robert Alan Essick, Reed Clasey Evans, Matthew Fernandez-Galiana, A. Fritschel, Peter K Gras, Slawomir Isogai, Tomoki Katsavounidis, Erotokritos Kontos, Antonios Lanza Jr, Robert K Libson, Adam A. Lynch, Ryan Christopher MacInnis, Myron E Martynov, Denis Mason, Kenneth R Matichard, Fabrice Mavalvala, Nergis Miller, John E Mittleman, Richard K Ray Pitambar Mohapatra, Satyanarayan Oelker, Eric Glenn Shoemaker, David H Tse, Maggie Vitale, Salvatore Weiss, Rainer Yam, William Yu, Hang Yu, Haocun Zucker, Michael E LIGO Collaboration Virgo Collaboration |
| author_sort | Aggarwal, Nancy |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Parameter estimates of GW150914 were obtained using Bayesian inference, based on three semi-analytic waveform models for binary black hole coalescences. These waveform models differ from each other in their treatment of black hole spins, and all three models make some simplifying assumptions, notably to neglect sub-dominant waveform harmonic modes and orbital eccentricity. Furthermore, while the models are calibrated to agree with waveforms obtained by full numerical solutions of Einstein's equations, any such calibration is accurate only to some non-zero tolerance and is limited by the accuracy of the underlying phenomenology, availability, quality, and parameter-space coverage of numerical simulations. This paper complements the original analyses of GW150914 with an investigation of the effects of possible systematic errors in the waveform models on estimates of its source parameters. To test for systematic errors we repeat the original Bayesian analysis on mock signals from numerical simulations of a series of binary configurations with parameters similar to those found for GW150914. Overall, we find no evidence for a systematic bias relative to the statistical error of the original parameter recovery of GW150914 due to modeling approximations or modeling inaccuracies. However, parameter biases are found to occur for some configurations disfavored by the data of GW150914: for binaries inclined edge-on to the detector over a small range of choices of polarization angles, and also for eccentricities greater than ∼0.05. For signals with higher signal-to-noise ratio than GW150914, or in other regions of the binary parameter space (lower masses, larger mass ratios, or higher spins), we expect that systematic errors in current waveform models may impact gravitational-wave measurements, making more accurate models desirable for future observations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:20:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/122670 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:20:18Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1226702022-09-29T14:20:24Z Effects of waveform model systematics on the interpretation of GW150914 Aggarwal, Nancy Barsotti, Lisa Biscans, Sebastien Brown, N. M. Buikema, Aaron Donovan, Frederick J Eisenstein, Robert Alan Essick, Reed Clasey Evans, Matthew Fernandez-Galiana, A. Fritschel, Peter K Gras, Slawomir Isogai, Tomoki Katsavounidis, Erotokritos Kontos, Antonios Lanza Jr, Robert K Libson, Adam A. Lynch, Ryan Christopher MacInnis, Myron E Martynov, Denis Mason, Kenneth R Matichard, Fabrice Mavalvala, Nergis Miller, John E Mittleman, Richard K Ray Pitambar Mohapatra, Satyanarayan Oelker, Eric Glenn Shoemaker, David H Tse, Maggie Vitale, Salvatore Weiss, Rainer Yam, William Yu, Hang Yu, Haocun Zucker, Michael E LIGO Collaboration Virgo Collaboration Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics MIT Materials Research Laboratory LIGO (Observatory : Massachusetts Institute of Technology) MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research Parameter estimates of GW150914 were obtained using Bayesian inference, based on three semi-analytic waveform models for binary black hole coalescences. These waveform models differ from each other in their treatment of black hole spins, and all three models make some simplifying assumptions, notably to neglect sub-dominant waveform harmonic modes and orbital eccentricity. Furthermore, while the models are calibrated to agree with waveforms obtained by full numerical solutions of Einstein's equations, any such calibration is accurate only to some non-zero tolerance and is limited by the accuracy of the underlying phenomenology, availability, quality, and parameter-space coverage of numerical simulations. This paper complements the original analyses of GW150914 with an investigation of the effects of possible systematic errors in the waveform models on estimates of its source parameters. To test for systematic errors we repeat the original Bayesian analysis on mock signals from numerical simulations of a series of binary configurations with parameters similar to those found for GW150914. Overall, we find no evidence for a systematic bias relative to the statistical error of the original parameter recovery of GW150914 due to modeling approximations or modeling inaccuracies. However, parameter biases are found to occur for some configurations disfavored by the data of GW150914: for binaries inclined edge-on to the detector over a small range of choices of polarization angles, and also for eccentricities greater than ∼0.05. For signals with higher signal-to-noise ratio than GW150914, or in other regions of the binary parameter space (lower masses, larger mass ratios, or higher spins), we expect that systematic errors in current waveform models may impact gravitational-wave measurements, making more accurate models desirable for future observations. 2019-10-30T15:58:59Z 2019-10-30T15:58:59Z 2017-04 2019-03-20T17:53:23Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0264-9381 1361-6382 https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122670 Abbott, B P et al. “Effects of Waveform Model Systematics on the Interpretation of GW150914.” Classical and Quantum Gravity 34, 10 (April 2017): 104002 © 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1361-6382/aa6854 Classical and Quantum Gravity http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ application/pdf IOP Publishing arXiv |
| spellingShingle | Aggarwal, Nancy Barsotti, Lisa Biscans, Sebastien Brown, N. M. Buikema, Aaron Donovan, Frederick J Eisenstein, Robert Alan Essick, Reed Clasey Evans, Matthew Fernandez-Galiana, A. Fritschel, Peter K Gras, Slawomir Isogai, Tomoki Katsavounidis, Erotokritos Kontos, Antonios Lanza Jr, Robert K Libson, Adam A. Lynch, Ryan Christopher MacInnis, Myron E Martynov, Denis Mason, Kenneth R Matichard, Fabrice Mavalvala, Nergis Miller, John E Mittleman, Richard K Ray Pitambar Mohapatra, Satyanarayan Oelker, Eric Glenn Shoemaker, David H Tse, Maggie Vitale, Salvatore Weiss, Rainer Yam, William Yu, Hang Yu, Haocun Zucker, Michael E LIGO Collaboration Virgo Collaboration Effects of waveform model systematics on the interpretation of GW150914 |
| title | Effects of waveform model systematics on the interpretation of GW150914 |
| title_full | Effects of waveform model systematics on the interpretation of GW150914 |
| title_fullStr | Effects of waveform model systematics on the interpretation of GW150914 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of waveform model systematics on the interpretation of GW150914 |
| title_short | Effects of waveform model systematics on the interpretation of GW150914 |
| title_sort | effects of waveform model systematics on the interpretation of gw150914 |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122670 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aggarwalnancy effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT barsottilisa effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT biscanssebastien effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT brownnm effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT buikemaaaron effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT donovanfrederickj effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT eisensteinrobertalan effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT essickreedclasey effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT evansmatthew effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT fernandezgalianaa effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT fritschelpeterk effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT grasslawomir effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT isogaitomoki effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT katsavounidiserotokritos effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT kontosantonios effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT lanzajrrobertk effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT libsonadama effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT lynchryanchristopher effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT macinnismyrone effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT martynovdenis effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT masonkennethr effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT matichardfabrice effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT mavalvalanergis effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT millerjohne effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT mittlemanrichardk effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT raypitambarmohapatrasatyanarayan effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT oelkerericglenn effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT shoemakerdavidh effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT tsemaggie effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT vitalesalvatore effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT weissrainer effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT yamwilliam effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT yuhang effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT yuhaocun effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT zuckermichaele effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT ligocollaboration effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 AT virgocollaboration effectsofwaveformmodelsystematicsontheinterpretationofgw150914 |