Upper Limits on the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background from Advanced LIGO's First Observing Run

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-24-2017

Keywords

Gravitational wave background, LIGO, Binary black holes

Abstract

A wide variety of astrophysical and cosmological sources are expected to contribute to a stochastic gravitational-wave background. Following the observations of GW150914 and GW151226, the rate and mass of coalescing binary black holes appear to be greater than many previous expectations. As a result, the stochastic background from unresolved compact binary coalescences is expected to be particularly loud. We perform a search for the isotropic stochastic gravitational-wave background using data from Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory’s (aLIGO) first observing run. The data display no evidence of a stochastic gravitational-wave signal. We constrain the dimensionless energy density of gravitational waves to be Ω0

Journal Title

Physical Review Letters

Volume

118

Issue

12

First Page

121101

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.121101

First Department

Physics

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