Methods and results of the IGEC search for burst gravitational waves in the years 1997-2000
P. Astone, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - INFN
D. Babusci, INFN, Laboratori Nazionali Di Frascati
L. Baggio, Università di Trento
M. Bassan, Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata"
D. G. Blair, The University of Western Australia
M. Bonaldi, Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications
P. Bonifazi, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - INFN
D. Busby, Louisiana State University
P. Carelli, Università degli Studi dell'Aquila
M. Cerdonio, Università degli Studi di Padova
E. Coccia, Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata"
L. Conti, Università degli Studi di Padova
C. Cosmelli, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - INFN
S. D'Antonio, INFN, Laboratori Nazionali Di Frascati
V. Fafone, INFN, Laboratori Nazionali Di Frascati
P. Falferi, Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications
P. Fortini, University of Ferrara
S. Frasca, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - INFN
G. Giordano, INFN, Laboratori Nazionali Di Frascati
W. O. Hamilton, Louisiana State University
I. S. Heng, Louisiana State University
E. N. Ivanov, The University of Western Australia
W. W. Johnson, Louisiana State University
A. Marini, INFN, Laboratori Nazionali Di Frascati
E. Mauceli, Whitehead Institute
M. P. McHugh, Loyola University New Orleans
R. Mezzena, Università di Trento
Y. Minenkov, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - INFN
I. Modena, Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata"
G. Modestino, INFN, Laboratori Nazionali Di Frascati
A. Moleti, Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata"
A. Ortolan, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro
G. V. Pallottino, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - INFN
Abstract
This paper presents the results of the observations of the detectors participating in the International Gravitational Event Collaboration (IGEC) from 1997 to 2000 and reviews the data analysis methods. The analysis is designed to search for coincident excitations in multiple detectors. The data set analyzed in this article covers a longer period and is more complete than that given in previous reports. The current analysis is more accurate for determining the false dismissal probability for a time coincidence search and it optimizes the search with respect to a target amplitude and direction of the signal. The statistics of the accidental coincidences agrees with the model used for drawing the results. The observations of this IGEC search are consistent with no detection of gravitational wave burst events. A new conservative upper limit has been set on the rate of gravitational wave bursts with a Fourier component H>2×10-21 Hz-1, both for searches with and without a filter for the galactic center direction. This study confirms that the false alarm rate of the observation can be negligible when at least three detectors are operating simultaneously. ©2003 The American Physical Society.
