All-sky Search for Continuous Gravitational Waves from Isolated Neutron Stars in the First Part of the Fourth LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Observing Run

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Abstract:: We present results from an all-sky search for continuous gravitational waves, using three different
methods applied to the first eight months of LIGO data from the fourth LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA
Collaboration s observing run. We aim at signals potentially emitted by rotating, non-axisymmetric
isolated neutron star in the Milky Way. The analysis spans a frequency range from 20 Hz to 2000
Hz and accommodates frequency derivative magnitudes up to \( 10^{-8} \) Hz/s. No statistically significant
periodic gravitational wave signals were detected. We establish 95% confidence-level (CL) frequentist
upper limits on the dimensionless strain amplitudes. The most stringent population-averaged strain
upper limits reach 9.7 \( *10^{-26} \) near 290 Hz, matching the best previous constraints from 250 to
∼1700 Hz while extending coverage to a much broader spin-down range. At higher frequencies, the
new limits improve upon previous results by factors of approximately∼1.6. These constraints are
applied to three astrophysical scenarios: 1) the distribution of galactic neutron stars as a function
of spin frequency and ellipticity; 2) the contribution of millisecond pulsars to the GeV excess
near the galactic center; and 3) the possible dark matter fraction composed of nearby inspiraling
primordial binary black holes with asteroid-scale masses.

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LIGO Document P2500416-v6