Treatment of Calibration Uncertainty in Multi-Baseline Cross-Correlation Searches for Gravitational Waves

Document #:

LIGO-G1100765-v2

Document type:

G - Presentations (eg Graphics)

Abstract:

Residual uncertainty in the calibration of gravitational wave (GW) detector data leads to systematic errors which must be accounted for in setting limits on the strength of gravitational wave signals. When cross-correlation measurements are made using data from a pair of instruments, as in searches for a stochastic GW background, the calibration uncertainties associated with the two instruments can be combined into an uncertainty associated with the pair. With the advent of multi-baseline gravitational wave observation (e.g., networks consisting of multiple detectors such as the LIGO observatories and Virgo), a more sophisticated treatment is called for. We describe how the correlations between calibration factors associated with different pairs can be taken into account by marginalizing over the uncertainty associated with each instrument.

Files in Document:

• poster (multical20111215.pdf, 303.5 kB)

Topics:

• Stochastic

Authors:

• John Whelan
• Emma Robinson
• Joseph Romano
• Eric Thrane