Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger
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.
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
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