GW240925 and GW250207: Astrophysical Calibration of Gravitational Wave Detectors
GW240925 与 GW250207:引力波探测器的天体物理校准
GW240925 and GW250207 are two loud gravitational-wave signals from binary black hole coalescences observed with network signal-to-noise ratios <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mo>∼</mml:mo><mml:mn>32</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mo>∼</mml:mo><mml:mn>69</mml:mn></mml:math></inline-formula>, respectively, by the LIGO Hanford-LIGO Livingston-Virgo network. Gravitational-wave signals from coalescing binaries have characteristic phase and amplitude evolution predicted by general relativity. These signal waveforms, together with measured instrumental calibration uncertainties, are used to infer source parameters. However, for sufficiently loud detections, it is possible to constrain the calibration of the detectors directly using the signals themselves. We present the first informative astrophysical measurements of gravitational-wave detector calibration. For GW240925, we verify the inference of Hanford calibration from the astrophysical signal through cross-checks with known calibration errors obtained from in situ measurements. At the time of GW250207, the Hanford detector was not fully stabilized, leading to elevated calibration uncertainties; thus, astrophysical calibration is essential to obtain accurate data and to enable source localization. These well-localized, high signal-to-noise observations have the potential to offer precise measurements of source properties, stringent tests of general relativity, and informative dark siren measurements, provided that calibration uncertainties are properly incorporated. As detector sensitivity improves, astrophysical calibration will become an increasingly valuable complement to in situ calibration measurements. Obtaining accurate calibration will be essential for precision gravitational-wave science.
展开 ▾亮点在于把真实天体物理信号当作独立校准源,提供端到端的标定误差检验,有助于提高探测器响应和天体物理参数测量的可靠性。
引力波探测器的幅度与相位标定长期依赖激光干涉仪内部的光子压力等硬件注入,而事件的距离、质量等参数对刻度误差较为敏感。本文通过 GW240925 和 GW250207 两个引力波事件,将天体物理参数约束与探测器响应联合分析,提供了独立于硬件注入的校准途径。相比传统硬件注入,这类方法能够反映整个观测链路中的系统性偏差,并有望通过更多高置信度事件累积成更稳健的标定误差先验。未来若结合电磁对应体红移或下一代探测器网络,天体物理校准有望成为标准工具,并为精确宇宙学测量提供支撑。
预印本 2026-05-12 · 刊出 2026-08-13 · 收录 2026-08-22