Accelerated detection of the binary neutron star gravitational-wave background

Understand

Most gravitational-wave signals from binary neutron star coalescences are too weak to be individually resolved with current detectors.

• We demonstrate how to extract a population of sub-threshold binary neutron star signals using Bayesian parameter estimation.
• Assuming a merger rate of one signal every two hours, we find that this gravitational-wave background can be detected after approximately three months of observation with Advanced LIGO and Virgo at design sensitivity, versus several years using the standard cross-correlation algorithm.
• We show that the algorithm can distinguish different neutron star equations of state using roughly seven months of Advanced LIGO and Virgo design-sensitivity data.