FIRST SEARCHES FOR OPTICAL COUNTERPARTS TO GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE CANDIDATE EVENTS
Author(s)
Aggarwal, Nancy; Barsotti, Lisa; Essick, Reed Clasey; Isogai, Tomoki; Katsavounidis, Erotokritos; Kissel, Jeffrey S.; Lee, J.; Matichard, Fabrice; Mavalvala, Nergis; Oelker, Eric Glenn; Vaulin, Ruslan; Vitale, Salvatore; Weiss, Rainer; Barnum, Sam; Foley, Stephany; Kwee, Patrick; Waldman, Samuel J.; Zhang, Fan; Evans, Matthew J; Fritschel, Peter K; Gras, Slawomir; MacInnis, Myron E; Mason, Kenneth R; Mittleman, Richard K; Shoemaker, David H; Wipf, Christopher C.; Bodiya, Timothy P.; Donovan, Frederick J; ... Show more Show less
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During the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory and Virgo joint science runs in 2009-2010, gravitational wave (GW) data from three interferometer detectors were analyzed within minutes to select GW candidate events and infer their apparent sky positions. Target coordinates were transmitted to several telescopes for follow-up observations aimed at the detection of an associated optical transient. Images were obtained for eight such GW candidates. We present the methods used to analyze the image data as well as the transient search results. No optical transient was identified with a convincing association with any of these candidates, and none of the GW triggers showed strong evidence for being astrophysical in nature. We compare the sensitivities of these observations to several model light curves from possible sources of interest, and discuss prospects for future joint GW-optical observations of this type.
Date issued
2014-02Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics; MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research; LIGO (Observatory : Massachusetts Institute of Technology)Journal
The Astrophysical Journal. Supplement Series
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Citation
Aasi, J., J. Abadie, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. Abbott, M. R. Abernathy, T. Accadia, et al. “FIRST SEARCHES FOR OPTICAL COUNTERPARTS TO GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE CANDIDATE EVENTS.” The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 211, no. 1 (February 11, 2014): 7. © 2014 The American Astronomical Society
Version: Final published version
ISSN
0067-0049
1538-4365