Two-Dimensional Correlation Function of Binary Black Hole Coalescences

2020/05/31 by Marco Cavaglià, Marco Cavaglia, Ashini Modi · 11 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Binary black hole #Binary number #Coalescence (physics) #Correlation #Correlation function (quantum field theory) #Cross-correlation #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Sky #Systematic error #astro-ph.HE #gr-qc

paper · pdf · doi:10.3390/universe6070093

published in Universe 6(7), 93 (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute) · 11 pages, 4 figures, final published version

openalex created_date 2020/05/21 · arxiv created 2020/07/07 · openalex publication_date 2020/07/07 · arxiv updated 2020/07/09 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06

Abstract

We compute the two-dimensional correlation functions of the binary black hole coalescence detections in LIGO-Virgo’s first and second observation runs. The sky distribution of binary black hole coalescence events is tested for correlations at different angular scales by comparing the observed correlation function to two reference functions that are obtained from mock datasets of localization error regions uniformly distributed in the sky. No excess correlation at any angular scale is found. The power-law slope of the correlation function is estimated to be γ = 2.24 ± 0.33 at the three- σ confidence level, a value consistent with the measured distribution of galaxies.

Citations

• The international pulsar timing array project: using pulsars as a gravitational wave detector
• Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger
• Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger
• All-sky search for short gravitational-wave bursts in the second Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo run

Cited by

• Cosmology with the angular cross-correlation of gravitational-wave and galaxy catalogs: forecasts for next-generation interferometers and the Euclid survey