Search for intermediate mass black hole binaries in the first observing run of Advanced LIGO

(LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration)

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

83 Scopus citations

Abstract

During their first observational run, the two Advanced LIGO detectors attained an unprecedented sensitivity, resulting in the first direct detections of gravitational-wave signals produced by stellar-mass binary black hole systems. This paper reports on an all-sky search for gravitational waves (GWs) from merging intermediate mass black hole binaries (IMBHBs). The combined results from two independent search techniques were used in this study: the first employs a matched-filter algorithm that uses a bank of filters covering the GW signal parameter space, while the second is a generic search for GW transients (bursts). No GWs from IMBHBs were detected; therefore, we constrain the rate of several classes of IMBHB mergers. The most stringent limit is obtained for black holes of individual mass 100 M, with spins aligned with the binary orbital angular momentum. For such systems, the merger rate is constrained to be less than 0.93 Gpc-3 yr-1 in comoving units at the 90% confidence level, an improvement of nearly 2 orders of magnitude over previous upper limits.

Original languageEnglish
Article number022001
JournalPhysical Review D
Volume96
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Jul 2017
Externally publishedYes

Funding

FundersFunder number
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India
Ministry of Human Resource Development
Australian Research Council
ICTP South American Institute for Fundamental Research
National Research Foundation of Korea
Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation
Narodowe Centrum Nauki
Scottish Universities Physics Alliance
Spanish Ministerio de Economa y Competitividad
Scottish Funding Council
Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Leverhulme Trust
Science and Engineering Research Board
Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Kavli Foundation
European Commission
Russian Foundation for Basic Research
Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Department of Science and Technology, India, Science & Engineering Research Board
Hungarian Scientific Research Fund
Royal Society
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
Universitat de les Illes Balears
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
Science and Technology Facilities CouncilST/N000064/1, ST/N00003X/1, ST/J000019/1, ST/P000258/1, ST/H002006/1, ST/L000954/1, ST/M005844/1, ST/H008438/1, PP/F001118/1, ST/J000345/1, PP/F00110X/1, ST/I000887/1, ST/J000302/1, ST/N005481/1, ST/N000072/1, 1653071, ST/L000911/1, ST/I006277/1, ST/N005422/1, ST/N005716/1, PPA/G/S/2002/00652, ST/J000361/1, ST/N005406/1, Gravitational Waves, ST/G504284/1, ST/K000845/1, ST/I006285/1, ST/L003465/1, ST/I006242/1, 1654298, PP/F001096/1, ST/M006735/1, ST/N000080/1, ST/I006269/1, ST/I001085/1, ST/L000946/1, ST/N000633/1, ST/F500972/1, ST/L000962/1, ST/N005430/1, ST/I001026/1, ST/J00166X/1
National Science Foundation1708081, 1104371, 1458952, 1607585, 1308527, 1404139, 1505629, 1506360, 1608423
Not added12227

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