Last Modified: 2002 October 21
Charlie Torres / charlie@phys.utb.edu
Simulating The Search for a Gravitational Wave Stochastic Background
Mr. Charlie W. Torres Jr., The University of Texas at Brownsville
This talk addresses techniques in the statistical analysis of signals originating from gravitational waves, in particular signals which are stochastic and cosmological in origin. I review what is a gravitational wave, what are some typical sources of gravitational radiation and what are some detection techniques used to search for these signals. I also review and explain the nature of the algorithms included in the LIGO Algorithm Library (LAL) package. We also study the results from implementation of the stochastic searches designed for inclusion in the LIGO Algorithms Library (LAL) stochastic package. The data analysis software associated with these searches will be used when the LIGO detectors are brought on-line for the first upper limits estimation at the end of 2001. The search software from the LAL package is designed to search for stochastic signals using cross correlated outputs from any detector pair. Expected signals, isotropic in nature and consist of a random superposition of gravitational waves that can be detected by a single interferometer. Of all the contributing sources of stochastic gravitational waves signals relic gravitational waves from the Big Bang fall under the category of stochastic gravitational waves. These relic gravitational waves will be the most exciting and interesting stochastic signal to be processed, since we will be able to look further back into the origin of the universe, to events that took place before the emission of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) to a time about t = 10-22 seconds.