Incorporation of Statistical Data Quality Information into the GstLAL Search Analysis

Understand

We present updates to GstLAL, a matched filter gravitational-wave search pipeline, in Advanced LIGO and Virgo's third observing run.

• We discuss the incorporation of statistical data quality information into GstLAL's multi-dimensional likelihood ratio ranking statistic and additional improvements to search for gravitational wave candidates found in only one detector.
• Statistical data quality information is provided by iDQ, a data quality pipeline that infers the presence of short-duration transient noise in gravitational-wave data using the interferometer's auxiliary state, which has operated in near real-time since before LIGO's first observing run in 2015.
• We look at the performance and impact on noise rejection by the inclusion of iDQ information in GstLAL's ranking statistic, and discuss GstLAL results in the GWTC-2 catalog, focusing on two case studies; GW190424A, a single-detector gravitational-wave event found by GstLAL and a period of time in Livingston impacted by a thunderstorm.