The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Jan 2023)
The NANOGrav 15 yr 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 J. Cornish,
- Fronefield Crawford,
- H. Thankful Cromartie,
- Kathryn Crowter,
- Megan E. DeCesar,
- Paul B. Demorest,
- Matthew C. Digman,
- Timothy Dolch,
- Brendan Drachler,
- 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,
- Sophie Hourihane,
- Ross J. Jennings,
- Aaron D. Johnson,
- Megan L. Jones,
- Andrew R. Kaiser,
- David L. Kaplan,
- Luke Zoltan Kelley,
- Matthew Kerr,
- 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,
- Natasha McMann,
- Bradley W. Meyers,
- Patrick M. Meyers,
- Chiara M. F. Mingarelli,
- Andrea Mitridate,
- Cherry Ng,
- David J. Nice,
- Stella Koch Ocker,
- Ken D. Olum,
- Timothy T. Pennucci,
- Benetge B. P. Perera,
- Polina Petrov,
- Nihan S. Pol,
- Henri A. Radovan,
- Scott M. Ransom,
- Paul S. Ray,
- Joseph D. Romano,
- Shashwat C. Sardesai,
- Ann Schmiedekamp,
- Carl Schmiedekamp,
- Kai Schmitz,
- Brent J. Shapiro-Albert,
- Xavier Siemens,
- Joseph Simon,
- Magdalena S. Siwek,
- Ingrid H. Stairs,
- Daniel R. Stinebring,
- Kevin Stovall,
- Abhimanyu Susobhanan,
- Joseph K. Swiggum,
- Jacob Taylor,
- Stephen R. Taylor,
- Jacob E. Turner,
- Caner Unal,
- Michele Vallisneri,
- Rutger van Haasteren,
- 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 [email protected]
- Akash Anumarlapudi
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA [email protected]
- Anne M. Archibald
- ORCiD
- Newcastle University , NE1 7RU, UK
- 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
- Laura Blecha
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, 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
- Robin Case
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- 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
- Kathryn Crowter
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia , 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada
- Megan E. DeCesar
- ORCiD
- George Mason University , resident at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA
- Paul B. Demorest
- ORCiD
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory , 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
- Matthew C. Digman
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Montana State University , Bozeman, MT 59717, 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
- 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 [email protected]
- 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
- Sophie Hourihane
- Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- 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 [email protected]; 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 [email protected]
- 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 [email protected]
- Luke Zoltan Kelley
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of California , Berkeley, 501 Campbell Hall #3411, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Matthew Kerr
- ORCiD
- Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory , Washington, DC 20375-5352, 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
- 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
- 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 [email protected]
- 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
- Natasha McMann
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Bradley W. Meyers
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia , 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada; International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Curtin University , Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
- 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
- Benetge B. P. Perera
- ORCiD
- Arecibo Observatory, HC3 Box 53995, Arecibo, PR 00612, USA
- Polina Petrov
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Nihan S. Pol
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Henri A. Radovan
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, University of Puerto Rico , Mayagüez, PR 00681, 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 [email protected]
- Ann Schmiedekamp
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Penn State Abington , Abington, PA 19001, USA
- Carl Schmiedekamp
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Penn State Abington , Abington, PA 19001, USA
- Kai Schmitz
- ORCiD
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Münster , D-48149 Münster, Germany
- Brent J. Shapiro-Albert
- 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; Giant Army, 915A 17th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122, USA
- Xavier Siemens
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA [email protected]; Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- 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 Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- 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
- Abhimanyu Susobhanan
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA [email protected]
- Joseph K. Swiggum
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Lafayette College , Easton, PA 18042, USA
- Jacob Taylor
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- 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
- Rutger van Haasteren
- ORCiD
- Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik (Albert-Einstein-Institut) , Callinstrasse 38, D-30167, Hannover, Germany
- 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 [email protected]
- 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/10.3847/2041-8213/ace18a
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 951,
no. 2
p. L50
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 data sets. Here we present the search for individual supermassive black hole binaries in the NANOGrav 15 yr data set. 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 ∼4 nHz, and another at ∼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. At our most sensitive frequency of 6 nHz, we place a sky-averaged 95% upper limit of 8 × 10 ^−15 on the strain amplitude. We also calculate an exclusion volume and a corresponding effective radius, within which we can rule out the presence of black hole binaries emitting at a given frequency.
Keywords
