Southern California Conferences for Undergraduate Research

Southern California Conferences for Undergraduate Research

Distinguishing Polarizations in Continuous Gravitational Waves

Author:

Maximiliano Isi

Mentor:

Alan Weinstein, Professor of Physics, California Institute of Technology

According to the General Theory of Relativity, gravitational waves (GWs) can present only two polarizations, both of them transverse to the direction of wave propagation. This is generally taken as an assumption in the models used in the simulations and searches of gravitational waves. However, Einstein's theory has never been tested in the highly dynamical regime of GWs and alternative theories allow for the existence of as many as five distinct polarizations. In light of this, we develop methods to identify signals containing all such polarizations in continuous GWs emitted by spinning neutron stars, the Crab pulsar in particular. We analyze the extent to which extra polarizations can be detected, making use of simulated signals and preliminary searches in actual data from the LIGO gravitational wave detectors.


Presented by:

Maximiliano Isi

Date:

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Poster:

94

Room:

Broome Library

Presentation Type:

Poster Presentation

Discipline:

Physics
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