Open AccessA method for detecting gravitational waves coincident with gamma‐ray bursts
Author(s) -
Murphy M. T.,
Webb J. K.,
Heng I. S.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2000.03544.x
Subject(s) - physics , gamma ray burst , gravitational wave , astrophysics , ligo , redshift , bar (unit) , detector , astronomy , optics , galaxy , meteorology
The mechanism for gamma‐ray bursters and the detection of gravitational waves (GWs) are two outstanding problems facing modern physics. Many models of gamma‐ray bursters predict copious GW emission, so the assumption of an association between GWs and gamma‐ray bursts (GRBs) may be testable with existing bar GW detector data. We consider Weber bar data streams in the vicinity of known GRB times and present calculations of the expected signal after co‐addition of 1000 GW/GRBs that have been shifted to a common zero time. Our calculations are based on assumptions concerning the GW spectrum and the redshift distribution of GW/GRB sources that are consistent with current GW/GRB models. We discuss further possibilities of GW detection associated with GRBs in light of future bar detector improvements and suggest that co‐addition of data from several improved bar detectors may result in detection of GWs (if the GW/GRB assumption is correct) on a time‐scale comparable to the LIGO projects.