The Astrophysical Journal (Jan 2024)
The NANOGrav 12.5 yr Data Set: Search for Gravitational Wave Memory
- Gabriella Agazie,
- Zaven Arzoumanian,
- Paul T. Baker,
- Bence Bécsy,
- Laura Blecha,
- Harsha Blumer,
- Adam Brazier,
- Paul R. Brook,
- Sarah Burke-Spolaor,
- Rand Burnette,
- Robin Case,
- J. Andrew Casey-Clyde,
- Maria Charisi,
- Shami Chatterjee,
- Tyler Cohen,
- James M. Cordes,
- Neil J. Cornish,
- Fronefield Crawford,
- H. Thankful Cromartie,
- Megan E. DeCesar,
- Dallas DeGan,
- Paul B. Demorest,
- Timothy Dolch,
- Brendan Drachler,
- Justin A. Ellis,
- Robert D. Ferdman,
- Elizabeth C. Ferrara,
- William Fiore,
- Emmanuel Fonseca,
- Gabriel E. Freedman,
- Nate Garver-Daniels,
- Peter A. Gentile,
- Joseph Glaser,
- Deborah C. Good,
- Kayhan Gültekin,
- Jeffrey S. Hazboun,
- Ross J. Jennings,
- Aaron D. Johnson,
- Megan L. Jones,
- Andrew R. Kaiser,
- David L. Kaplan,
- Luke Zoltan Kelley,
- Joey S. Key,
- Nima Laal,
- Michael T. Lam,
- William G. Lamb,
- T. Joseph W. Lazio,
- Natalia Lewandowska,
- Tingting Liu,
- Duncan R. Lorimer,
- Jing Luo,
- Ryan S. Lynch,
- Chung-Pei Ma,
- Dustin R. Madison,
- Alexander McEwen,
- James W. McKee,
- Maura A. McLaughlin,
- Patrick M. Meyers,
- Chiara M. F. Mingarelli,
- Andrea Mitridate,
- Cherry Ng,
- David J. Nice,
- Stella Koch Ocker,
- Ken D. Olum,
- Timothy T. Pennucci,
- Nihan S. Pol,
- Scott M. Ransom,
- Paul S. Ray,
- Joseph D. Romano,
- Shashwat C. Sardesai,
- Kai Schmitz,
- Xavier Siemens,
- Joseph Simon,
- Magdalena S. Siwek,
- Sophia V. Sosa Fiscella,
- Renée Spiewak,
- Ingrid H. Stairs,
- Daniel R. Stinebring,
- Kevin Stovall,
- Jerry P. Sun,
- Joseph K. Swiggum,
- Jacob Taylor,
- Stephen R. Taylor,
- Jacob E. Turner,
- Caner Unal,
- Michele Vallisneri,
- Sarah J. Vigeland,
- Haley M. Wahl,
- Caitlin A. Witt,
- Olivia Young,
- The NANOGrav Collaboration
Affiliations
- Gabriella Agazie
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
- Zaven Arzoumanian
- X-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , Code 662, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Paul T. Baker
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Widener University , One University Place, Chester, PA 19013, USA
- Bence Bécsy
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA ; [email protected]
- Laura Blecha
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Harsha Blumer
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Adam Brazier
- ORCiD
- Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science and Department of Astronomy, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Cornell Center for Advanced Computing, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Paul R. Brook
- ORCiD
- Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy and School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham , Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
- Sarah Burke-Spolaor
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Rand Burnette
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA ; [email protected]
- Robin Case
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA ; [email protected]
- J. Andrew Casey-Clyde
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, University of Connecticut , 196 Auditorium Road, U-3046, Storrs, CT 06269-3046, USA
- Maria Charisi
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Shami Chatterjee
- ORCiD
- Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science and Department of Astronomy, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Tyler Cohen
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology , 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
- James M. Cordes
- ORCiD
- Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science and Department of Astronomy, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Neil J. Cornish
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Montana State University , Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
- Fronefield Crawford
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Franklin & Marshall College , P.O. Box 3003, Lancaster, PA 17604, USA
- H. Thankful Cromartie
- ORCiD
- Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science and Department of Astronomy, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Megan E. DeCesar
- ORCiD
- George Mason University , resident at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA
- Dallas DeGan
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA ; [email protected]
- Paul B. Demorest
- ORCiD
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
- Timothy Dolch
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Hillsdale College , 33 E. College Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242, USA; Eureka Scientific , 2452 Delmer Street, Suite 100, Oakland, CA 94602-3017, USA
- Brendan Drachler
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, NY 14623, USA; Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- Justin A. Ellis
- School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia , Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
- Robert D. Ferdman
- ORCiD
- School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia , Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
- Elizabeth C. Ferrara
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland , College Park, MD 20742, USA; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology , NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- William Fiore
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Emmanuel Fonseca
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Gabriel E. Freedman
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
- Nate Garver-Daniels
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Peter A. Gentile
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Joseph Glaser
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Deborah C. Good
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, University of Connecticut , 196 Auditorium Road, U-3046, Storrs, CT 06269-3046, USA; Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute , 162 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA
- Kayhan Gültekin
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Jeffrey S. Hazboun
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA ; [email protected]
- Ross J. Jennings
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Aaron D. Johnson
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA; Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Megan L. Jones
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
- Andrew R. Kaiser
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- David L. Kaplan
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
- Luke Zoltan Kelley
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of California , Berkeley, 501 Campbell Hall #3411, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Joey S. Key
- ORCiD
- University of Washington Bothell , 18115 Campus Way NE, Bothell, WA 98011, USA
- Nima Laal
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA ; [email protected]
- Michael T. Lam
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, NY 14623, USA; Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, NY 14623, USA; SETI Institute , 339 N Bernardo Ave Suite 200, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- William G. Lamb
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- T. Joseph W. Lazio
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Natalia Lewandowska
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, State University of New York at Oswego , Oswego, NY, 13126, USA
- Tingting Liu
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Duncan R. Lorimer
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Jing Luo
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto , 50 Saint George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, Canada
- Ryan S. Lynch
- ORCiD
- Green Bank Observatory , P.O. Box 2, Green Bank, WV 24944, USA
- Chung-Pei Ma
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of California , Berkeley, 501 Campbell Hall #3411, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Physics, University of California , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Dustin R. Madison
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, University of the Pacific , 3601 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, CA 95211, USA
- Alexander McEwen
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
- James W. McKee
- ORCiD
- E.A. Milne Centre for Astrophysics, University of Hull , Cottingham Road, Kingston-upon-Hull, HU6 7RX, UK; Centre of Excellence for Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Modelling (DAIM), University of Hull , Cottingham Road, Kingston-upon-Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
- Maura A. McLaughlin
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Patrick M. Meyers
- ORCiD
- Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Chiara M. F. Mingarelli
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, University of Connecticut , 196 Auditorium Road, U-3046, Storrs, CT 06269-3046, USA; Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute , 162 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA; Department of Physics, Yale University , New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Andrea Mitridate
- ORCiD
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY , Notkestr. 85, D-22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Cherry Ng
- ORCiD
- Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto , 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, Canada
- David J. Nice
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Lafayette College , Easton, PA 18042, USA
- Stella Koch Ocker
- ORCiD
- Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science and Department of Astronomy, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Ken D. Olum
- ORCiD
- Institute of Cosmology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Tufts University , Medford, MA 02155, USA
- Timothy T. Pennucci
- ORCiD
- Institute of Physics and Astronomy, Eötvös Loránd University , Pázmány P.s. 1/A, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Nihan S. Pol
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Scott M. Ransom
- ORCiD
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
- Paul S. Ray
- ORCiD
- Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory , Washington, DC 20375-5352, USA
- Joseph D. Romano
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Texas Tech University , Box 41051, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
- Shashwat C. Sardesai
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
- Kai Schmitz
- ORCiD
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Münster , D-48149 Münster, Germany
- Xavier Siemens
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA; Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA ; [email protected]
- Joseph Simon
- ORCiD
- Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado , Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- Magdalena S. Siwek
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University , 60 Garden St, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Sophia V. Sosa Fiscella
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, NY 14623, USA; Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- Renée Spiewak
- ORCiD
- Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester , Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
- Ingrid H. Stairs
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia , 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada
- Daniel R. Stinebring
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Oberlin College , Oberlin, OH 44074, USA
- Kevin Stovall
- ORCiD
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
- Jerry P. Sun
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA ; [email protected]
- Joseph K. Swiggum
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Lafayette College , Easton, PA 18042, USA
- Jacob Taylor
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA ; [email protected]
- Stephen R. Taylor
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Jacob E. Turner
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Caner Unal
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev , Be’er Sheva 84105, Israel; Feza Gursey Institute, Bogazici University , Kandilli, 34684, Istanbul, Turkey
- Michele Vallisneri
- ORCiD
- Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Sarah J. Vigeland
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
- Haley M. Wahl
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Caitlin A. Witt
- ORCiD
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Adler Planetarium , 1300 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
- Olivia Young
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, NY 14623, USA; Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- The NANOGrav Collaboration
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad0726
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 963,
no. 1
p. 61
Abstract
We present the results of a Bayesian search for gravitational wave (GW) memory in the NANOGrav 12.5 yr data set. We find no convincing evidence for any gravitational wave memory signals in this data set. We find a Bayes factor of 2.8 in favor of a model that includes a memory signal and common spatially uncorrelated red noise (CURN) compared to a model including only a CURN. However, further investigation shows that a disproportionate amount of support for the memory signal comes from three dubious pulsars. Using a more flexible red-noise model in these pulsars reduces the Bayes factor to 1.3. Having found no compelling evidence, we go on to place upper limits on the strain amplitude of GW memory events as a function of sky location and event epoch. These upper limits are computed using a signal model that assumes the existence of a common, spatially uncorrelated red noise in addition to a GW memory signal. The median strain upper limit as a function of sky position is approximately 3.3 × 10 ^−14 . We also find that there are some differences in the upper limits as a function of sky position centered around PSR J0613−0200. This suggests that this pulsar has some excess noise that can be confounded with GW memory. Finally, the upper limits as a function of burst epoch continue to improve at later epochs. This improvement is attributable to the continued growth of the pulsar timing array.
Keywords
