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Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger

Physical Review Letters · 2016 · Vol. 116(6) · pp. 061102–061102
B. P. AbbottR. AbbottT. D. AbbottM. R. AbernathyF. AcerneseK. AckleyC. AdamsT. AdamsP. AddessoR. X. AdhikariV. B. AdyaC. AffeldtM. AgathosK. AgatsumaN. AggarwalO. D. AguiarL. AielloA. AinP. AjithB. AllenA. AlloccaP. A. AltinS. B. AndersonW. G. AndersonK. AraiM. A. ArainM. C. ArayaC. C. ArceneauxJ. S. AreedaN. ArnaudK. G. ArunS. AscenziG. AshtonM. AstS. M. AstonP. AstoneP. AufmuthC. AulbertS. BabakP. BaconM. K. M. BaderP. T. BakerF. BaldacciniG. BallardinS. W. BallmerJ. C. BarayogaS. E. BarclayB. C. BarishD. BarkerF. BaroneB. BarrL. BarsottiM. BarsugliaD. BartaJ. BartlettM. A. BartonI. BartosR. BassiriA. BastiJ. C. BatchC. BauneV. BavigaddaM. BazzanB. BehnkeM. BejgerKrzysztof BelczyńskiA. S. BellC. BellB. K. BergerJ. BergmanG. BergmannC. P. L. BerryD. BersanettiA. BertoliniJ. BetzwieserS. BhagwatR. BhandareI. A. BilenkoG. BillingsleyJ. BirchR. BirneyO. BirnholtzS. BiscansA. BishtM. BitossiC. BiwerM. A. BizouardJ. K. BlackburnC. D. BlairD. G. BlairR. M. BlairS. BloemenO. BockT. P. 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KhanZ. KhanЕ. А. ХазановN. KijbunchooC. KimJ. KimK. KimNam-Gyu KimNamjun KimY.-M. KimE. J. KingPeter KingD. L. KinzelJ. S. KisselL. KleybolteS. KlimenkoS. M. KoehlenbeckK. KokeyamaS. KoleyV. KondrashovA. KontosS. KorandaM. KorobkoW. Z. KorthI. KowalskaD. B. KozakV. KringelB. KrishnanA. KrólakC. KruegerG. KuehnP. KumarS. KumarL. KuoA. KutyniaP. KweeB. D. LackeyM. LandryJ. LangeB. LantzP. D. LaskyA. LazzariniC. LazzaroP. LeaciS. LeaveyE. O. LebigotChang‐Hwan LeeH. K. LeeHyung Mok LeeK. LeeA. LenonM. LeonardiJ. R. LeongN. LeroyN. LetendreY. LevinB. M. LevineT. G. F. LiA. LibsonT. B. LittenbergN. A. LockerbieJ. LogueA. L. LombardiL. T. LondonJ. E. LordM. LorenziniV. LorietteM. LormandG. LosurdoJ. D. LoughC. O. LoustóGeoffrey LovelaceH. LückA. P. LundgrenJun LuoRyan S. LynchY. MaT. MacDonaldB. MachenschalkM. MacInnisD. M. MacleodF. Magaña‐SandovalR. M. MageeM. MageswaranE. MajoranaI. MaksimovicV. MalvezziN. ManIlya MandelV. MandicV. ManganoG. L. MansellV. ManganoM. MantovaniF. MarchesoniF. 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Abstract

On September 14, 2015 at 09:50:45 UTC the two detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory simultaneously observed a transient gravitational-wave signal. The signal sweeps upwards in frequency from 35 to 250 Hz with a peak gravitational-wave strain of 1.0×10(-21). It matches the waveform predicted by general relativity for the inspiral and merger of a pair of black holes and the ringdown of the resulting single black hole. The signal was observed with a matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 24 and a false alarm rate estimated to be less than 1 event per 203,000 years, equivalent to a significance greater than 5.1σ. The source lies at a luminosity distance of 410(-180)(+160) Mpc corresponding to a redshift z=0.09(-0.04)(+0.03). In the source frame, the initial black hole masses are 36(-4)(+5)M⊙ and 29(-4)(+4)M⊙, and the final black hole mass is 62(-4)(+4)M⊙, with 3.0(-0.5)(+0.5)M⊙c(2) radiated in gravitational waves. All uncertainties define 90% credible intervals. These observations demonstrate the existence of binary stellar-mass black hole systems. This is the first direct detection of gravitational waves and the first observation of a binary black hole merger.

Pulsars and Gravitational Waves ResearchBlack Holes and Theoretical PhysicsCosmology and Gravitation TheoriesGravitational wavePhysicsBinary numberBinary black holeBlack hole (networking)AstrophysicsAstronomyClassical mechanicsComputer science

Funding

  • National Science Foundation
  • Kavli Foundation
  • Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
  • Institut des Origines de Lyon
  • Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation
  • Leverhulme Trust
  • Royal Society
  • Scottish Funding Council
  • Scottish Universities Physics Alliance
  • European Commission
  • National Research Foundation
  • Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India
  • Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India
  • Stichting voor Fundamenteel Onderzoek der Materie
  • Russian Foundation for Basic Research
  • Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China
  • Industry Canada
  • Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
  • Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad
  • Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação
  • Hungarian Scientific Research Fund
  • National Research Foundation of Korea
  • Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
  • Narodowe Centrum Nauki
  • Ministry of Education, India
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
  • MPS España
  • Agència per a la Competitivitat de l’Empresa
  • Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico
  • Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
  • Govern de les Illes Balears
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
  • Science and Technology Facilities Council
  • Australian Research Council
  • Science and Engineering Research Board
  • Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
  • Seventh Framework Programme
  • Division of Human Resource Development
Citations
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