Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 061102 |
| Journal | Physical review letters |
| Volume | 116 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Publication status | Published - 11 Feb 2016 |
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.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- General Physics and Astronomy
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In: Physical review letters, Vol. 116, No. 6, 061102, 11.02.2016.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Observation of gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger
AU - The LIGO Scientific Collaboration
AU - The Virgo Collaboration
AU - Abbott, B. P.
AU - Abbott, R.
AU - Abbott, T. D.
AU - Abernathy, M. R.
AU - Acernese, F.
AU - Ackley, K.
AU - Adams, C.
AU - Adams, T.
AU - Addesso, P.
AU - Adhikari, R. X.
AU - Adya, V. B.
AU - Affeldt, C.
AU - Agathos, M.
AU - Agatsuma, K.
AU - Aggarwal, N.
AU - Aguiar, O. D.
AU - Aiello, L.
AU - Ain, A.
AU - Bose, S.
AU - Brown, D. A.
AU - Chen, Y.
AU - Danilishin, S. L.
AU - Danzmann, Karsten
AU - Fricke, T. T.
AU - Hanke, M. M.
AU - Hennig, J.
AU - Heurs, Michele
AU - Kawazoe, Fumiko
AU - Lee, H. M.
AU - Lück, Harald
AU - Luo, J.
AU - Nguyen, T. T.
AU - Poeld, J. H.
AU - Schmidt, J.
AU - Schmidt, P.
AU - Shaltev, M.
AU - Steinmeyer, Daniel
AU - Sun, L.
AU - Vahlbruch, Henning Fedor Cornelius
AU - Wang, M.
AU - Wang, X.
AU - Wang, Y.
AU - Wei, L. W.
AU - Willke, Benno
AU - Wittel, Holger
AU - Zhang, L.
AU - Zhang, Y.
AU - Zhou, M.
AU - Allen, Bruce
AU - Bisht, A.
AU - Denker, Timo
AU - Kaufer, Stefan
AU - Krüger, Christian
AU - Lough, J. D.
AU - Sawadsky, A.
AU - Schütte, Dirk
PY - 2016/2/11
Y1 - 2016/2/11
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84958078327&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84958078327
VL - 116
JO - Physical review letters
JF - Physical review letters
SN - 0031-9007
IS - 6
M1 - 061102
ER -