In the fall of 2015 the first scientific observing run (O1) of the advanced LIGO detectors will be conducted. Based on the recent commissioning progress at the LIGO Hanford and Livingston sites, the gravitational wave detector range for a neutron star binary inspiral is expected to be of order 60 Mpc. We describe here our planning for an O1 search for coincidence between a LIGO gravitational wave detection and a gamma-ray signal from the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor. Such a coincidence would constitute measurement of an electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave signal, with significant corresponding scientific benefits, including revealing the central engine powering the gamma-ray burst, enhanced confidence in the event as a genuine astrophysical detection, and a determination of the relative speed of the photon and graviton.
@article{arxiv.1506.02628,
title = {Planned search for LIGO-GBM coincidence in the first advanced LIGO data run},
author = {Jordan Camp and Lindy Blackburn and Michael Briggs and Nelson Christensen and Valerie Connaughton and Leo Singer and Peter Shawhan and John Veitch},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1506.02628},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
Submitted to Moriond Gravitation Conference Proceedings 2015