2020 Theses Doctoral

Detection, Data Analysis, and Astrophysics of Gravitational Waves

Corley, Kenneth Rainer

In this thesis, we present a series of methods, applications, and results on the subject of modern gravitational-wave astrophysics. This ranges from the detection of gravitational-wave phenomena to the analysis of detector data to applications of the measurements to astrophysics.

We first introduce the theory, detection, and sources of gravitational waves. We review the characterization of gravitational-wave detector data, and we present a method to identify detector artifacts in gravitational-wave data using only auxiliary detector data.

We then introduce two methods in gravitational-wave data analysis: first, we offer a method for searching detector data for unmodeled gravitational-wave events. Second, we present a method for the rapid estimation and communication of the inclination angle of compact binary mergers.

Finally, we explore three astrophysical applications of some the methods introduced: first, we show the effect of prior knowledge of inclination on the localization of binary black-hole mergers and its applications. Second, we explore the follow-up potential of the Cherenkov Telescope Array to gravitational-wave sources at high energies. Last, we show that publicly available gravitational-wave event information is capable of estimating the chirp masses of gravitational-wave sources, thereby identifying promising mergers for electromagnetic follow-up.