Detecting Gravitational Waves in Data with Non-Gaussian Noise

Understand

Searches for gravitational waves crucially depend on exact signal processing of noisy strain data from gravitational wave detectors, which are known to exhibit significant non-Gaussian behavior.

• In this paper, we study two distinct non-Gaussian effects in the LIGO/Virgo data which reduce the sensitivity of searches: first, variations in the noise power spectral density (PSD) on timescales of more than a few seconds; and second, loud and abrupt transient `glitches' of terrestrial or instrumental origin.
• We derive a simple procedure to correct, at first order, the effect of the variation in the PSD on the search background.
• Given the knowledge of the existence of localized glitches in particular segments of data, we also develop a method to insulate statistical inference from these glitches, so as to cleanly excise them without affecting the search background in neighboring seconds.