Optimal Template Banks

Understand

When searching for new gravitational-wave or electromagnetic sources, the $n$ signal parameters (masses, sky location, frequencies,...) are unknown.

• In practice, one hunts for signals at a discrete set of points in parameter space, with a computational cost that is proportional to the number of these points.
• If that is fixed, the question arises, where should the points be placed in parameter space? The current literature advocates selecting the set of points (called a "template bank") whose Wigner-Seitz (also called Vorono\"i) cells have the smallest covering radius ($\equiv$ smallest maximal mismatch).
• Mathematically, such a template bank is said to have "minimum thickness".