Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger

Abstract

On September 14, 2015 at 09:50:45 UTC the two detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory simultaneously observed a transient gravitational-wave signal. The signal sweeps upwards in frequency from 35 to 250 Hz with a peak gravitational-wave strain of <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><a:mn>1.0</a:mn><a:mo>×</a:mo><a:msup><a:mrow><a:mn>10</a:mn></a:mrow><a:mrow><a:mo>−</a:mo><a:mn>21</a:mn></a:mrow></a:msup></a:math>. It matches the waveform predicted by general relativity for the inspiral and merger of a pair of black holes and the ringdown of the resulting single black hole. The signal was observed with a matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 24 and a false alarm rate estimated to be less than 1 event per 203 000 years, equivalent to a significance greater than <c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><c:mrow><c:mn>5.1</c:mn><c:mi>σ</c:mi></c:mrow></c:math>. The source lies at a luminosity distance of <e:math xmlns:e="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><e:mrow><e:mn>41</e:mn><e:msubsup><e:mrow><e:mn>0</e:mn></e:mrow><e:mrow><e:mo>−</e:mo><e:mn>180</e:mn></e:mrow><e:mrow><e:mo>+</e:mo><e:mn>160</e:mn></e:mrow></e:msubsup><e:mtext> </e:mtext><e:mtext> </e:mtext><e:mi>Mpc</e:mi></e:mrow></e:math> corresponding to a redshift <g:math xmlns:g="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><g:mi>z</g:mi><g:mo>=</g:mo><g:mrow><g:mn>0.0</g:mn><g:msubsup><g:mn>9</g:mn><g:mrow><g:mo>−</g:mo><g:mn>0.04</g:mn></g:mrow><g:mrow><g:mo>+</g:mo><g:mn>0.03</g:mn></g:mrow></g:msubsup></g:mrow></g:math>. In the source frame, the initial black hole masses are <i:math xmlns:i="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><i:mrow><i:mn>3</i:mn><i:msubsup><i:mrow><i:mn>6</i:mn></i:mrow><i:mrow><i:mo>−</i:mo><i:mn>4</i:mn></i:mrow><i:mrow><i:mo>+</i:mo><i:mn>5</i:mn></i:mrow></i:msubsup><i:msub><i:mrow><i:mi>M</i:mi></i:mrow><i:mrow><i:mo stretchy="false">⊙</i:mo></i:mrow></i:msub></i:mrow></i:math> and <l:math xmlns:l="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><l:mrow><l:mn>2</l:mn><l:msubsup><l:mrow><l:mn>9</l:mn></l:mrow><l:mrow><l:mo>−</l:mo><l:mn>4</l:mn></l:mrow><l:mrow><l:mo>+</l:mo><l:mn>4</l:mn></l:mrow></l:msubsup><l:msub><l:mrow><l:mi>M</l:mi></l:mrow><l:mrow><l:mo stretchy="false">⊙</l:mo></l:mrow></l:msub></l:mrow></l:math>, and the final black hole mass is <o:math xmlns:o="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><o:mrow><o:mn>6</o:mn><o:msubsup><o:mrow><o:mn>2</o:mn></o:mrow><o:mrow><o:mo>−</o:mo><o:mn>4</o:mn></o:mrow><o:mrow><o:mo>+</o:mo><o:mn>4</o:mn></o:mrow></o:msubsup><o:msub><o:mrow><o:mi>M</o:mi></o:mrow><o:mrow><o:mo stretchy="false">⊙</o:mo></o:mrow></o:msub></o:mrow></o:math>, with <r:math xmlns:r="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><r:mrow><r:mrow><r:mn>3.</r:mn><r:msubsup><r:mrow><r:mn>0</r:mn></r:mrow><r:mrow><r:mo>−</r:mo><r:mn>0.5</r:mn></r:mrow><r:mrow><r:mo>+</r:mo><r:mn>0.5</r:mn></r:mrow></r:msubsup><r:msub><r:mrow><r:mi>M</r:mi></r:mrow><r:mrow><r:mo stretchy="false">⊙</r:mo></r:mrow></r:msub></r:mrow><r:msup><r:mrow><r:mi>c</r:mi></r:mrow><r:mrow><r:mn>2</r:mn></r:mrow></r:msup></r:mrow></r:math> radiated in gravitational waves. All uncertainties define 90% credible intervals. These observations demonstrate the existence of binary stellar-mass black hole systems. This is the first direct detection of gravitational waves and the first observation of a binary black hole merger. Published by the American Physical Society 2016

Keywords

Affiliated Institutions

• Gran Sasso Science Institute IT
• National Institute for Space Research BR
• Université Paris Cité FR
• National Institute for Subatomic Physics NL
• California Institute of Technology US
• Louisiana State University US
• Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics IN
• Universität Hamburg DE
• Australian National University AU
• Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Roma Tor Vergata IT
• The University of Western Australia AU
• Leibniz University Hannover DE
• Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma I IT
• European Gravitational Observatory IT
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology US
• University of the West of Scotland GB
• University of Salerno IT
• University of Florida US
• Columbia University US
• Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Genova IT
• Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics DE
• Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova IT
• University of Mississippi US
• Syracuse University US
• Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa IT
• California State University, Fullerton US
• Université Savoie Mont Blanc FR
• Université Paris-Sud FR
• University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee US
• HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics HU
• Centre de la Méditerranée Moderne et Contemporaine FR
• Montana State University US
• Tata Institute of Fundamental Research IN
• Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia IT
• Université Côte d'Azur FR
• University of Southampton GB
• Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology IN
• Délégation Paris 7 FR
• University of Glasgow GB
• Stanford University US
• Eötvös Loránd University HU
• University of Birmingham GB
• Chennai Mathematical Institute IN
• University of Warsaw PL
• Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Napoli IT
• International Centre for Theoretical Sciences IN
• Lomonosov Moscow State University RU
• LIGO Scientific Collaboration US
• Radboud University Nijmegen NL

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