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Article
GW150914: Implications for the Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background from Binary Black Holes
Faculty Publications
  • Tiffany Summerscales, Andrews University
  • LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-31-2016
Keywords
  • Gravitational waves,
  • Binary stars
Abstract

The LIGO detection of the gravitational wave transient GW150914, from the inspiral and merger of two black holes with masses ≳30M⊙, suggests a population of binary black holes with relatively high mass. This observation implies that the stochastic gravitational-wave background from binary black holes, created from the incoherent superposition of all the merging binaries in the Universe, could be higher than previously expected. Using the properties of GW150914, we estimate the energy density of such a background from binary black holes. In the most sensitive part of the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo band for stochastic backgrounds (near 25 Hz), we predict ΩGW(f=25  Hz)=1.1+2.7−0.9×10−9 with 90% confidence. This prediction is robustly demonstrated for a variety of formation scenarios with different parameters. The differences between models are small compared to the statistical uncertainty arising from the currently poorly constrained local coalescence rate. We conclude that this background is potentially measurable by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors operating at their projected final sensitivity.

Journal Title
Physical Review Letters
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.131102
First Department
Physics
Citation Information
Tiffany Summerscales and LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration. "GW150914: Implications for the Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background from Binary Black Holes" Vol. 116 Iss. 13 (2016) p. 131102 - 131102
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/tiffany_summerscales/61/