Abstract
A wide variety of astrophysical and cosmological sources are expected to contribute to a stochastic gravitational-wave background. Following the observations of GW150914 and GW151226, the rate and mass of coalescing binary black holes appear to be greater than many previous expectations. As a result, the stochastic background from unresolved compact binary coalescences is expected to be particularly loud. We perform a search for the isotropic stochastic gravitational-wave background using data from Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory's (aLIGO) first observing run. The data display no evidence of a stochastic gravitational-wave signal. We constrain the dimensionless energy density of gravitational waves to be Ω0 < 1.7 x 10-7 with 95% confidence, assuming a flat energy density spectrum in the most sensitive part of the LIGO band (20-86 Hz). This is a factor of ∼33 times more sensitive than previous measurements. We also constrain arbitrary power-law spectra. Finally, we investigate the implications of this search for the background of binary black holes using an astrophysical model for the background.
Recommended Citation
B. P. Abbott et al., "Upper Limits on the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background from Advanced LIGO's First Observing Run," Physical Review Letters, vol. 118, no. 12, American Physical Society (APS), Mar 2017.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.121101
Department(s)
Physics
Keywords and Phrases
Astrophysics; Bins; Flocculation; Gravitation; Gravitational effects; Interferometers; Laser interferometry; Stars; Stochastic systems; Black holes; Data display; Energy density; Energy density spectrum; Gravitational-wave signals; Laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatories; Power-law; Upper limits; Gravity waves
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0031-9007
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2017 American Physical Society (APS), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Mar 2017