Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 124037 |
| Journal | Physical Review D |
| Volume | 97 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Jun 2018 |
Abstract
Recent detections of merging black holes allow observational tests of the nature of these objects. In some proposed models, nontrivial structure at or near the black hole horizon could lead to echo signals in gravitational wave data. Recently, Abedi-Dykaar-Afshordi (ADA) claimed tentative evidence for repeating damped echo signals following the gravitational-wave signals of the binary black hole merger events recorded in the first observational period of the Advanced LIGO interferometers. We reanalyze the same data, addressing some of the shortcomings of their method using more background data and a modified procedure. We find a reduced statistical significance for the claims of evidence for echoes, calculating increased p-values for the null hypothesis of echo-free noise. The reduced significance is entirely consistent with noise, and so we conclude that the analysis of Abedi et al. does not provide any observational evidence for the existence of Planck-scale structure at black hole horizons.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)
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In: Physical Review D, Vol. 97, No. 12, 124037, 15.06.2018.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Low significance of evidence for black hole echoes in gravitational wave data
AU - Westerweck, Julian
AU - Nielsen, Alex B.
AU - Fischer-Birnholtz, Ofek
AU - Cabero, Miriam
AU - Capano, Collin
AU - Dent, Thomas
AU - Krishnan, Badri
AU - Meadors, Grant
AU - Nitz, Alexander H.
N1 - Funding Information: The authors thank Andrew Lundgren, Laura Nuttall, Vitor Cardoso, and the authors of [20–22] , for useful discussions, as well as Bruce Allen for helpful comments. Some of the discussions particularly enjoyed the hospitality of meetings at Nikhef and at the Perimeter Institute. This research has made use of data, software and/or web tools obtained from the LIGO Open Science Center ( https://losc.ligo.org ), a service of LIGO Laboratory and the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. LIGO is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). O. B. acknowledges the NSF for financial support from Grant No. PHY-1607520. Funding Information: The authors thank Andrew Lundgren, Laura Nuttall, Vitor Cardoso, and the authors of for useful discussions, as well as Bruce Allen for helpful comments. Some of the discussions particularly enjoyed the hospitality of meetings at Nikhef and at the Perimeter Institute. This research has made use of data, software and/or web tools obtained from the LIGO Open Science Center , a service of LIGO Laboratory and the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. LIGO is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). O.B. acknowledges the NSF for financial support from Grant No. PHY-1607520.
PY - 2018/6/15
Y1 - 2018/6/15
N2 - Recent detections of merging black holes allow observational tests of the nature of these objects. In some proposed models, nontrivial structure at or near the black hole horizon could lead to echo signals in gravitational wave data. Recently, Abedi-Dykaar-Afshordi (ADA) claimed tentative evidence for repeating damped echo signals following the gravitational-wave signals of the binary black hole merger events recorded in the first observational period of the Advanced LIGO interferometers. We reanalyze the same data, addressing some of the shortcomings of their method using more background data and a modified procedure. We find a reduced statistical significance for the claims of evidence for echoes, calculating increased p-values for the null hypothesis of echo-free noise. The reduced significance is entirely consistent with noise, and so we conclude that the analysis of Abedi et al. does not provide any observational evidence for the existence of Planck-scale structure at black hole horizons.
AB - Recent detections of merging black holes allow observational tests of the nature of these objects. In some proposed models, nontrivial structure at or near the black hole horizon could lead to echo signals in gravitational wave data. Recently, Abedi-Dykaar-Afshordi (ADA) claimed tentative evidence for repeating damped echo signals following the gravitational-wave signals of the binary black hole merger events recorded in the first observational period of the Advanced LIGO interferometers. We reanalyze the same data, addressing some of the shortcomings of their method using more background data and a modified procedure. We find a reduced statistical significance for the claims of evidence for echoes, calculating increased p-values for the null hypothesis of echo-free noise. The reduced significance is entirely consistent with noise, and so we conclude that the analysis of Abedi et al. does not provide any observational evidence for the existence of Planck-scale structure at black hole horizons.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85049506846&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.48550/arXiv.1712.09966
DO - 10.48550/arXiv.1712.09966
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85049506846
VL - 97
JO - Physical Review D
JF - Physical Review D
SN - 2470-0010
IS - 12
M1 - 124037
ER -