On Validating Angular Power Spectral Models for the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background Without Distributional Assumptions

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Zhang, Xiangyu, Floden, Erik, Zhao, Hongru, Algeri, Sara, Jones, Galin, Mandic, Vuk, Miller, Jesse
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Zhang, Xiangyu
Floden, Erik
Zhao, Hongru
Algeri, Sara
Jones, Galin
Mandic, Vuk
Miller, Jesse
author_facet Zhang, Xiangyu
Floden, Erik
Zhao, Hongru
Algeri, Sara
Jones, Galin
Mandic, Vuk
Miller, Jesse
contents It is demonstrated that estimators of the angular power spectrum commonly used for the stochastic gravitational-wave background (SGWB) lack a closed-form analytical expression for the likelihood function and, typically, cannot be accurately approximated by a Gaussian likelihood. Nevertheless, a robust statistical analysis can be performed to enable the estimation and testing of angular power spectral models for the SGWB without specifying distributional assumptions. Here, the technical aspects of the method are discussed in detail. Moreover, a new, consistent estimator for the covariance of the angular power spectrum is derived. The proposed approach is applied to data from the third observing run (O3) of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_16959
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle On Validating Angular Power Spectral Models for the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background Without Distributional Assumptions
Zhang, Xiangyu
Floden, Erik
Zhao, Hongru
Algeri, Sara
Jones, Galin
Mandic, Vuk
Miller, Jesse
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
It is demonstrated that estimators of the angular power spectrum commonly used for the stochastic gravitational-wave background (SGWB) lack a closed-form analytical expression for the likelihood function and, typically, cannot be accurately approximated by a Gaussian likelihood. Nevertheless, a robust statistical analysis can be performed to enable the estimation and testing of angular power spectral models for the SGWB without specifying distributional assumptions. Here, the technical aspects of the method are discussed in detail. Moreover, a new, consistent estimator for the covariance of the angular power spectrum is derived. The proposed approach is applied to data from the third observing run (O3) of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo.
title On Validating Angular Power Spectral Models for the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background Without Distributional Assumptions
topic Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.16959