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Main Authors: Chan, Juno C. L., Seo, Eungwang, Li, Alvin K. Y., Fong, Heather, Ezquiaga, Jose M.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.13058
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author Chan, Juno C. L.
Seo, Eungwang
Li, Alvin K. Y.
Fong, Heather
Ezquiaga, Jose M.
author_facet Chan, Juno C. L.
Seo, Eungwang
Li, Alvin K. Y.
Fong, Heather
Ezquiaga, Jose M.
contents Gravitational lensing by compact, small-scale intervening masses causes frequency-dependent distortions to gravitational-wave events. The optimal signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is often used as a proxy for the detectability of exotic signals in gravitational-wave searches. In reality, the detectability of such signals in a matched-filtering search requires comprehensive consideration of match-filtered SNR, signal-consistency test value, and other factors. In this work, we investigate for the first time the detectability of lensed gravitational waves from compact binary coalescences with a match-filtering search pipeline, GstLAL. Contrary to expectations from the optimal-SNR approximation approach, we show that the strength of a signal (i.e., higher optimal SNR) does not necessarily result in higher detectability. We also demonstrate that lensed gravitational waves with wave optics effects can suffer significantly, from $~90\%$ (unlensed) to $<1\%$ (lensed) detection efficiency, due to downranking by the signal-consistency test values. These findings stress the need to extend current template banks to effectively search for lensed gravitational waves and to reassess current constraints on compact dark matter scenarios.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_13058
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Detectability of lensed gravitational waves in matched-filtering searches
Chan, Juno C. L.
Seo, Eungwang
Li, Alvin K. Y.
Fong, Heather
Ezquiaga, Jose M.
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Gravitational lensing by compact, small-scale intervening masses causes frequency-dependent distortions to gravitational-wave events. The optimal signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is often used as a proxy for the detectability of exotic signals in gravitational-wave searches. In reality, the detectability of such signals in a matched-filtering search requires comprehensive consideration of match-filtered SNR, signal-consistency test value, and other factors. In this work, we investigate for the first time the detectability of lensed gravitational waves from compact binary coalescences with a match-filtering search pipeline, GstLAL. Contrary to expectations from the optimal-SNR approximation approach, we show that the strength of a signal (i.e., higher optimal SNR) does not necessarily result in higher detectability. We also demonstrate that lensed gravitational waves with wave optics effects can suffer significantly, from $~90\%$ (unlensed) to $<1\%$ (lensed) detection efficiency, due to downranking by the signal-consistency test values. These findings stress the need to extend current template banks to effectively search for lensed gravitational waves and to reassess current constraints on compact dark matter scenarios.
title Detectability of lensed gravitational waves in matched-filtering searches
topic General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.13058