LIGO Document G1100001-v3

Human Vetting of Candidate Gravitational Wave Events for Wide-Field Optical Follow-Up Observation

Document #:
LIGO-G1100001-v3
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G - Presentations (eg Graphics)
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Abstract:
Interferometric gravitational wave (GW) detectors have reached the sensitivity and refinement in data analysis to begin to participate in the multi-messenger astronomy community as an event generator. The LIGO-Virgo Collaboration (LVC) has entered into MOUs with wide-field optical telescopes and developed an infrastructure to implement low-latency Target-of-Opportunity (ToO) requests in search of optical transients accompanying a candidate GW event. Near real-time burst and binary inspiral data analysis methods were used to produce candidates for follow-up. Before any ToO requests are submitted, human vetting is necessary to insure reasonable requests, at least at this early stage of infrastructure development. Vetting focuses on determining candidate GW event significance with respect to trigger significance and interferometer performance. A group of about 25 LVC wide-field optical follow-up experts provided remote 24/7 support to scientific monitors and operators who were located at the detectors during a winter 2009-’10 and summer ’10 follow-up run. Presented here is a summary of the wide-field optical follow-up ToO infrastructure with emphasis on the role of human vetting procedures.
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Notes and Changes:
Added Virgo logo, changed sky map plot and added DCC number to the bottom right hand side of the poster.
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