The NANOGrav 15-year Data Set: Bayesian Limits on Gravitational Waves from Individual Supermassive Black Hole Binaries

Gabriella Agazie; Akash Anumarlapudi; Anne M Archibald; Zaven Arzoumanian; Paul T Baker; Bence Bécsy; Laura Blecha; Adam Brazier; Paul R Brook; Sarah Burke-Spolaor; Robin Case; J. Andrew Casey-Clyde; Maria Charisi; Shami Chatterjee; Tyler Cohen; James M Cordes; Neil Cornish; Fronefield Crawford; H. Thankful Cromartie; Kathryn Crowter; Megan DeCesar; Paul B Demorest; Matthew C Digman; Timothy Dolch; Brendan Drachler; Elizabeth C Ferrara; William Fiore; Emmanuel Fonseca; Gabriel Freedman; Nathaniel Garver-Daniels; Peter Gentile; Joseph Glaser; Deborah Good; Kayhan Gültekin; Jeffrey Hazboun; Sophie Hourihane; Ross Jennings; Aaron D Johnson; Megan Jones; Andrew R Kaiser; David Kaplan; Luke Zoltan Kelley; Matthew Kerr; Joey Key; Nima Laal; Michael Lam; William G Lamb; T. Joseph W Lazio; Natalia Lewandowska; Tingting Liu; Duncan R Lorimer; Jing Santiago Luo; Ryan S Lynch; Chung-Pei Ma; Dustin Madison; Alexander McEwen; James W McKee; Maura McLaughlin; Natasha McMann; Bradley W Meyers; Patrick M Meyers; Chiara M. F Mingarelli; andrea mitridate; priya natarajan; Cherry Ng; David Nice; Stella Koch Ocker; Ken Olum; Timothy T Pennucci; Benetge Perera; Polina Petrov; Nihan Pol; Henri A Radovan; Scott Ransom; Paul S Ray; Joseph Romano; Shashwat C Sardesai; Ann Schmiedekamp; Carl Schmiedekamp; Kai Schmitz; Brent J Shapiro-Albert; Xavier Siemens; Joseph Simon; Magdalena Siwek; Ingrid Stairs; Dan Stinebring; Kevin Stovall; Abhimanyu Susobhanan; Joseph Swiggum; Jacob Taylor; Stephen Taylor; Jacob E Turner; Caner Unal; Michele Vallisneri; Rutger van Haasteren; Sarah J Vigeland; Haley M Wahl; Caitlin Witt; Olivia Young

doi:10.48550/arxiv.2306.16222

Preprint

The NANOGrav 15-year Data Set: Bayesian Limits on Gravitational Waves from Individual Supermassive Black Hole Binaries

Gabriella Agazie, Akash Anumarlapudi, Anne M Archibald, Zaven Arzoumanian, Paul T Baker, Bence Bécsy, Laura Blecha, Adam Brazier, Paul R Brook, Sarah Burke-Spolaor, …

28/06/2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2306.16222

Abstract

Evidence for a low-frequency stochastic gravitational wave background has recently been reported based on analyses of pulsar timing array data. The most likely source of such a background is a population of supermassive black hole binaries, the loudest of which may be individually detected in these datasets. Here we present the search for individual supermassive black hole binaries in the NANOGrav 15-year dataset. We introduce several new techniques, which enhance the efficiency and modeling accuracy of the analysis. The search uncovered weak evidence for two candidate signals, one with a gravitational-wave frequency of $\sim$4 nHz, and another at $\sim$170 nHz. The significance of the low-frequency candidate was greatly diminished when Hellings-Downs correlations were included in the background model. The high-frequency candidate was discounted due to the lack of a plausible host galaxy, the unlikely astrophysical prior odds of finding such a source, and since most of its support comes from a single pulsar with a commensurate binary period. Finding no compelling evidence for signals from individual binary systems, we place upper limits on the strain amplitude of gravitational waves emitted by such systems.

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Title: The NANOGrav 15-year Data Set: Bayesian Limits on Gravitational Waves from Individual Supermassive Black Hole Binaries
Creators - without role: Gabriella Agazie - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Akash Anumarlapudi - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Anne M Archibald - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Zaven Arzoumanian - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Paul T Baker - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Bence Bécsy - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Laura Blecha - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Adam Brazier - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Paul R Brook - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Sarah Burke-Spolaor - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Robin Case - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
J. Andrew Casey-Clyde - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Maria Charisi - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Shami Chatterjee - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Tyler Cohen - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
James M Cordes - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Neil Cornish - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Fronefield Crawford - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
H. Thankful Cromartie - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Kathryn Crowter - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Megan DeCesar - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Paul B Demorest - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Matthew C Digman - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Timothy Dolch - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Brendan Drachler - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Elizabeth C Ferrara - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
William Fiore - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Emmanuel Fonseca - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Gabriel Freedman - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Nathaniel Garver-Daniels - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Peter Gentile - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Joseph Glaser - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Deborah Good - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Kayhan Gültekin - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Jeffrey Hazboun - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Sophie Hourihane - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Ross Jennings - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Aaron D Johnson - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Megan Jones - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Andrew R Kaiser - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
David Kaplan - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Luke Zoltan Kelley - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Matthew Kerr - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Joey Key - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Nima Laal - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Michael Lam - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
William G Lamb - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
T. Joseph W Lazio - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Natalia Lewandowska - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Tingting Liu - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Duncan R Lorimer - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Jing Santiago Luo - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Ryan S Lynch - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Chung-Pei Ma - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Dustin Madison - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Alexander McEwen - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
James W McKee - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Maura McLaughlin - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Natasha McMann - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Bradley W Meyers - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Patrick M Meyers - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Chiara M. F Mingarelli - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
andrea mitridate - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
priya natarajan - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Cherry Ng - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
David Nice - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Stella Koch Ocker - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Ken Olum - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Timothy T Pennucci - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Benetge Perera - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Polina Petrov - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Nihan Pol - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Henri A Radovan - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Scott Ransom - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Paul S Ray - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Joseph Romano - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Shashwat C Sardesai - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Ann Schmiedekamp - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Carl Schmiedekamp - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Kai Schmitz - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Brent J Shapiro-Albert - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Xavier Siemens - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Joseph Simon - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Magdalena Siwek - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Ingrid Stairs - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Dan Stinebring - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Kevin Stovall - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Abhimanyu Susobhanan - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Joseph Swiggum - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Jacob Taylor - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Stephen Taylor - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Jacob E Turner - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Caner Unal - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Michele Vallisneri - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Rutger van Haasteren - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Sarah J Vigeland - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Haley M Wahl - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Caitlin Witt - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Olivia Young - for the NANOGrav Collaboration
Identifiers: 991019443888907081
Academic Unit: Physics
Language: English
Resource Type: Preprint