Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Current status of gravitational wave observations

  • Review Article
  • Published:
General Relativity and Gravitation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The first generation of gravitational wave interferometric detectors have taken data at, or close to, their design sensitivity. This data has been searched for a broad range of gravitational wave signatures. An overview of gravitational wave search methods and results are presented. Searches for gravitational waves from unmodelled burst sources, compact binary coalescences, continuous wave sources and stochastic backgrounds are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Abbott B.P. et al.: Rep. Prog. Phys. 72, 076901 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Acernese F. et al.: J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 120, 032007 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Takahashi R.: The TAMA Collaboration: Class. Quant. Gravit. 21, S403 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Lück H. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 23, S71 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Acernese F. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 25, 184001 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Smith J.R.: for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration: Class. Quant. Gravit. 26, 114013 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Accadia T. et al.: J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 203, 012074 (2010)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Ott C.D. et al.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 201102 (2006)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Ott C.D. et al.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 261101 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Ott C.D. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 24, 139 (2007)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Marek A., Janka H.-T., Müller E.: Astron. Astrophys. 496, 475 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Baker J.G., Campanelli M., Pretorius F., Zlochower Y.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 24, S25 (2007)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Pretorius F.: In: Colpi, M., Casella, P., Gorini, V., Moschella, U., Possenti, A. (eds) Physics of Relativistic Objects in Compact Binaries: from Birth to Coalescence, Springer, Heidelberg (2009)

  14. Baiotti L., Giacomazzo B., Rezzolla L.: Phys. Rev. D 78, 084033 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Hjorth J. et al.: Nature 423, 847 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. Campana S. et al.: Nature 442, 1008 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. Nakar E.: Phys. Rep. 442, 166 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. Fryer C.L, Woosley S.E., Hartmann D.H.: Astrophys. J. 526, 152 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. Cannizzo J.K, Gehrels N.: Astrophys. J. 700, 1047 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Duncan R.C., Thompson C.: Astrophys. J. Lett. 392, L9 (1992)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. Thompson C., Duncan R.C.: Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 275, 255 (1995)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. Schwartz S.J. et al.: Astrophys. J. Lett. 627, L129 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Andersson N., Kokkotas K.D.: Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 299, 1059 (1998)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Klimenko S., Mitselmakher G.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 21, S1819 (2004)

    Article  MATH  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. Klimenko S. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 25, S114029 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. Chatterji S. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 21, S1809 (2004)

    Article  MATH  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. Clapson A.-C. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 25, 035002 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Chatterji S. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 74, 082005 (2006)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  29. Cavalier F. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 74, 082004 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  30. Markowitz J., Zanolin M., Cadonati L., Katsavounidis E.: Phys. Rev. D 78, 122003 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  31. Acernese F. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 26, 085009 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  32. Leroy N. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 26, 204007 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  33. Blackburn L. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 25, 184004 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  34. Chatterji S.K. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 21, S1809 (2004)

    Article  MATH  ADS  Google Scholar 

  35. Brady P.R., Creighton J.D.E., Wiseman A.G.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 21, S1775–S1782 (2004)

    Article  MATH  ADS  Google Scholar 

  36. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 80, 102001 (2009)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  37. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 80, 102002 (2009)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  38. Abbott B.P. et al.: Astrophys. J. 681, 1419 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  39. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 77, 062004 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  40. Acernese F. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 25, 225001 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  41. Abadie, J., et al.: arXiv:0908.3824 [astro-ph.HE]

  42. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 211102 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  43. Abbott B.P. et al.: Astrophys. J. 701, L68 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  44. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 80, 062002 (2009)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  45. Weisberg J.M., Taylor J.H.: ASP Conf. Ser. 328, 25 (2005)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  46. Cokelaer T., Pathak D.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 26, 045013 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  47. Martel K., Poisson E.: Phys. Rev. D 60, 124008 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  48. Blanchet L.: Liv. Rev. Rel. 9, 3 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  49. Buonanno A., Iyer B., Ochsner E., Pan Y., Sathyaprakash B.S.: Phys. Rev. D 80, 084043 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  50. Berti E., Cardoso V., Will C.M.: Phys. Rev. D 73, 064030 (2006)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  51. Chandrasekhar S., Detweiler S.: Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. A 344, 441 (1975)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  52. Leaver E.W.: Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. A 402, 285 (1985)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  53. Husa S.: Eur. Phys. J. ST 152, 183 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  54. Hannam M.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 26, 114001 (2009)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  55. Buonanno A. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 76, 104049 (2007)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  56. Damour T., Nagar A.: Phys. Rev. D 77, 024043 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  57. Ajith P. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 24, S689 (2007)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  58. Duez M.D. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 78, 104015 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  59. Read J.S. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 79, 124033 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  60. Shibata M., Taniguchi K.: Phys. Rev. D 77, 084015 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  61. Wainstein, L.A., Zubakov, V.D.: Extraction of Signals from Noise. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs (1962)

  62. Finn, L.S., Chernoff, D.F.: Phys. Rev. D 47, 2198 (2219) (1993)

  63. Allen, B.A., Anderson, W.G., Brady, P.R., Brown, D.A., Creighton, J.D.E.: arXiv:gr-qc/0509116

  64. Owen B.J.: Phys. Rev. D 53, 6749–6761 (1996)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  65. Owen B.J., Sathyaprakash B.S.: Phys. Rev. D 60, 022002 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  66. Babak S. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 23, 5477 (2006)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  67. Buonanno, A., Chen, Y., Vallisneri, M.: Phys. Rev. D 67, 104025 (2003). Erratum Phys. Rev. D 74, 029904(E) (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  68. Abbott B. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 78, 042002 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  69. Pan, Y., Buonanno, A., Chen, Y., Vallisneri, M.: Phys. Rev. D 69, 104017 2004. Erratum Phys. Rev. D742006029905(E)

  70. van der Sluys M.V. et al.: Astrophys. J. Lett. 688, L61 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  71. Sluys M. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 25, 184011 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  72. Van Den Broeck C. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 80, 024009 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  73. Christensen N., Shawhan P., González G.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 21, S1747 (2004)

    Article  MATH  ADS  Google Scholar 

  74. Robinson C.A.K., Sathyaprakash B.S., Sengupta A.S.: Phys. Rev. D 78, 062002 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  75. Allen B.: Phys. Rev. D 71, 062001 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  76. Rodríguez, A.: Master’s thesis, Louisiana State University (2007)

  77. Abbott B. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 77, 062002 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  78. Kopparapu, R.K., et al.: arXiv:0706.1283 [astro-ph]

  79. Abadie, J., et al.: arXiv:1003.2480 [astro-ph.HE]

  80. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 79, 122001 (2009)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  81. Abbott B. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 80, 047101 (2009)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  82. Abbott B. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 69, 122001 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  83. Buonanno A., Chen Y., Vallisneri M.: Phys. Rev. D 67, 024016 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  84. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 80, 062001 (2009)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  85. Robinson, C., for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration: LIGO-G0900596-v2 (2009). http://dcc.ligo.org/cgi-bin/DocDB/ShowDocument?docid=G0900596

  86. Abadie, J., et al.: arXiv:1001.0165 [astro-ph.HE]

  87. Ushomirsky G., Cutler C., Bildsten L.: Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 319, 902 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  88. Owen B.J.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 211101 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  89. Horowitz C.J., Kadau K.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 191102 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  90. Colaiuda A., Ferrari V., Gualtieri L., Pons J.A.: Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 385, 2080 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  91. Friedman J.L., Schutz B.F.: Astrophys. J. 222, 281 (1978)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  92. Bildsten L.: Astrophys. J. Lett. 501, L89 (1998)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  93. Owen B.J.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 23, S1 (2006)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  94. Cutler C., Gholami I., Krishnan B.: Phys. Rev. D 72, 042004 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  95. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 69, 082004 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  96. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 181103 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  97. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 76, 042001 (2007)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  98. Abbott B.P. et al.: Astrophys. J. Lett. 683, L45 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  99. Abbott B.P. et al.: Astrophys. J. 713, 671 (2010)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  100. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 76, 082001 (2007)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  101. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 76, 082003 (2007)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  102. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 72, 102004 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  103. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 77, 022001 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  104. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 79, 022001 (2009)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  105. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 111102 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  106. Abbott B.P. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 80, 042003 (2009)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  107. Frasca, S., for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration: LIGO-G0900712-v1 (2009). http://dcc.ligo.org/cgi-bin/DocDB/ShowDocument?docid=G0900712

  108. Knispel B., Allen B.: Phys. Rev. D 78, 044031 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  109. Wette K. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 25, 235011 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  110. Grishchuk L.P.: Sov. Phys. JETP 40, 409 (1975)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  111. Grishchuk L.P.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 14, 1445 (1997)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  112. Starobinsky A.A.: Pis’ma Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz. 30, 719 (1979)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  113. Kosowsky A., Turner M.S., Watkins R.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 2026 (1992)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  114. Apreda R., Maggiore M., Nicolis A., Riotto A.: Nucl. Phys. B 631, 342 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  115. Gasperini M., Veneziano G.: Astropart. Phys. 1, 317 (1993)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  116. Gasperini M., Veneziano G.: Phys. Rep. 373, 1 (2003)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  117. Buonanno A., Maggiore M., Ungarelli C.: Phys. Rev. D 55, 3330 (1997)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  118. Caldwell R.R., Allen B.: Phys. Rev. D 45, 3447 (1992)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  119. Damour T., Vilenkin A.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 3761 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  120. Damour T., Vilenkin A.: Phys. Rev. D 71, 063510 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  121. Siemens X., Mandic V., Creighton J.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 111101 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  122. Smith T.L. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 73, 123503 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  123. Coward D.M., Burman R.R., Blair D.G.: Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 329, 411 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  124. Regimbau T., de Freitas Pacheco J.A.: Astron. Astrophys. 376, 381 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  125. Regimbau T., de Freitas Pacheco J.A.: Astron. Astrophys. 447, 1 (2006)

    Article  MATH  ADS  Google Scholar 

  126. Cyburt R.H. et al.: Astropart. Phys. 23, 313 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  127. Allen B., Romano J.: Phys. Rev. D 59, 102001 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  128. Ballmer S.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 23, S179 (2006)

    Article  MATH  ADS  Google Scholar 

  129. Mitra S. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 77, 042002 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  130. Abbott B.P. et al.: Nature 460, 990 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  131. Abbott B. et al.: Astrophys. J. 659, 918 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  132. Abbott B. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 76, 082003 (2007)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  133. Abbott B. et al.: Phys. Rev. D 76, 022001 (2007)

    Article  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  134. Cella G. et al.: Class. Quant. Gravit. 24, S639 (2007)

    Article  MATH  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 3AA, UK

    Stephen Fairhurst

  2. Dipartimento di Matematica, Fisica e Informatica, Università di Urbino, INFN Firenze, Via S Chiara 27, 61029, Urbino, Italy

    Gianluca M. Guidi

  3. LAL, Universite Paris-Sud, IN2P3/CNRS, 91898, Orsay, France

    Patrice Hello

  4. Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation and School of Mathematical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY, 14623, USA

    John T. Whelan

  5. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK

    Graham Woan

Authors
  1. Stephen Fairhurst
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gianluca M. Guidi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Patrice Hello
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. John T. Whelan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Graham Woan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen Fairhurst.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fairhurst, S., Guidi, G.M., Hello, P. et al. Current status of gravitational wave observations. Gen Relativ Gravit 43, 387–407 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10714-010-1009-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10714-010-1009-1

Keyword

Search

Navigation