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Robust Gravitational Wave Analysis at the Catalog Scale

Citation

Udall, Rhiannon Pollard (2025) Robust Gravitational Wave Analysis at the Catalog Scale. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:05312025-230908742

Abstract

The rapid improvement in the sensitivity of ground based gravitational wave detectors has produced a huge variety of technical insights, but has also brought new challenges in gravitational wave data analysis. In this dissertation I address two of those challenges: the rapid increase in the number of detected events, and the need for robust astrophysical inferences in the presence of transient detector glitches. To manage the number of gravitational wave transients now regularly detected, I developed infrastructure for the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration which monitors and collates the results of many disparate analyses in order to produce the final transient catalog. I implemented physically informed models for scattered light glitches into standard parameter estimation tools, and so that the potential realizations of these glitches can be marginalized over when performing astrophysical inference. This method was used to better understand GW191109, an event from the third observing run with potentially dynamical formation history. These tools were also applied to better understand the behavior of parameter estimation in the presence of glitches, and to search for statistical tests which can identify if parameter estimation is biased by the presence of a glitch.

Item Type:Thesis (Dissertation (Ph.D.))
Subject Keywords:Gravitational Waves; Data Analysis; Detector Characterization; Parameter Estimation
Degree Grantor:California Institute of Technology
Division:Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy
Major Option:Physics
Thesis Availability:Public (worldwide access)
Research Advisor(s):
  • Weinstein, Alan Jay
Group:LIGO
Thesis Committee:
  • Chatziioannou, Katerina (chair)
  • Reitze, David H.
  • McCuller, Lee P.
  • Hallinan, Gregg W.
  • Weinstein, Alan Jay
Defense Date:21 May 2025
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
NSFPHY-2309200
NSFPHY-1764464
Record Number:CaltechTHESIS:05312025-230908742
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:05312025-230908742
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.111.024046DOIThis article was adapted for chapter VII
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0136896DOIThis article was adapted for chapter VI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ascom.2022.100664DOIThis article was adapted for chapter IV
ORCID:
AuthorORCID
Udall, Rhiannon Pollard0000-0001-6877-3278
Default Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:17330
Collection:CaltechTHESIS
Deposited By: Rhiannon Udall
Deposited On:03 Jun 2025 19:16
Last Modified:10 Jun 2025 19:53

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