Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger

Authors

B. P. Abbott, California Institute of Technology
R. Abbott, Louisiana State University
T. D. Abbott, University of Salerno
M. R. Abernathy, Complesso Universitario di Monte sant'Angelo
F. Acernese, University of Florida
K. Ackley, Universite de Savoie
C. Adams, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
Marc Favata, Montclair State UniversityFollow
Shaon Ghosh, Montclair State UniversityFollow
Rodica Martin, Montclair State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-11-2016

Journal / Book Title

Physical review letters

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 1.0×10-21. 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 5.1σ. The source lies at a luminosity distance of 410-180+160 Mpc corresponding to a redshift z=0.09-0.04+0.03. In the source frame, the initial black hole masses are 36-4+5M⊙ and 29-4+4M⊙, and the final black hole mass is 62-4+4M⊙, with 3.0-0.5+0.5M⊙c2 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.

DOI

10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102

MSU Digital Commons Citation

Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abernathy, M. R.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Favata, Marc; Ghosh, Shaon; and Martin, Rodica, "Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger" (2016). Department of Physics and Astronomy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 92.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/physics-astron-facpubs/92

Published Citation

Abbott, B. P., Abbott, R., Abbott, T. D., Abernathy, M. R., Acernese, F., Ackley, K., ... & Cavalieri, R. (2016). Observation of gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger. Physical review letters, 116(6), 061102.