Enhancing confidence in the detection of gravitational waves from compact binaries using signal coherence

Understand

We show that gravitational-wave signals from compact binary mergers may be better distinguished from instrumental noise transients by using Bayesian models that look for signal coherence across a detector network.

• This can be achieved even when the signal power is below the usual threshold for detection.
• This method could reject the vast majority of noise transients, and therefore increase sensitivity to weak gravitational waves.
• We demonstrate this using simulated signals, as well as data for GW150914 and LVT151012.