English

$\texttt{GWFAST}$: a Fisher information matrix Python code for third-generation gravitational-wave detectors

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics 2022-10-25 v3 Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Abstract

We introduce GWFAST\texttt{GWFAST}, a Fisher information matrix Python\texttt{Python} code that allows easy and efficient estimation of signal-to-noise ratios and parameter measurement errors for large catalogs of resolved sources observed by networks of gravitational-wave detectors. In particular, GWFAST\texttt{GWFAST} includes the effects of the Earth's motion during the evolution of the signal, supports parallel computation, and relies on automatic differentiation rather than on finite differences techniques, which allows the computation of derivatives with accuracy close to machine precision. We also release the library WF4Py\texttt{WF4Py} implementing state-of-the-art gravitational-wave waveforms in Python\texttt{Python}. In this paper we provide a documentation of GWFAST\texttt{GWFAST} and WF4Py\texttt{WF4Py} with practical examples and tests of performance and reliability. In a companion paper we present forecasts for the detection capabilities of the second and third generation of ground-based gravitational-wave detectors, obtained with GWFAST\texttt{GWFAST}.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2207.06910,
  title  = {$\texttt{GWFAST}$: a Fisher information matrix Python code for third-generation gravitational-wave detectors},
  author = {Francesco Iacovelli and Michele Mancarella and Stefano Foffa and Michele Maggiore},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2207.06910},
  year   = {2022}
}

Comments

18 pages, 6 figures, $\texttt{GWFAST}$ available at $\href{https://github.com/CosmoStatGW/gwfast}{\rm this\ link}$, $\texttt{WF4Py}$ available at $\href{https://github.com/CosmoStatGW/WF4Py}{\rm this\ link}$. v3 matches the version accepted for publication in ApJS. Title changed in journal

R2 v1 2026-06-25T00:54:56.279Z