2026-07-29 ジョージア工科大学
＜関連情報＞
- https://news.research.gatech.edu/2026/07/29/new-era-black-hole-detection
- https://journals.aps.org/prl/accepted/10.1103/gzrj-mwv3
GW240925およびGW250207：重力波検出器の天体物理学的較正 GW240925 and GW250207: Astrophysical calibration of gravitational wave detectors
A. G. Abac et al.
Physical Review Letters Accepted:30 April, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/gzrj-mwv3
Abstract
GW240925 and GW250207 are two loud gravitational-wave signals from binary black hole coalescences observed with network signal-to-noise ratios ∼32 and ∼69, respectively, by the LIGO Hanford–LIGO Livingston–Virgo network. Gravitational-wave signals from coalescing binaries have characteristic phase and amplitude evolution predicted by general relativity. These signal waveforms, together with measured instrumental calibration uncertainties, are used to infer source parameters. However, for sufficiently loud detections it is possible to constrain the calibration of the detectors directly using the signals themselves. We present the first informative astrophysical measurements of gravitational-wave detector calibration. For GW240925, we verify the inference of Hanford calibration from the astrophysical signal through cross-checks with known calibration errors obtained from in-situ measurements. At the time of GW250207, the Hanford detector was not fully stabilized, leading to elevated calibration uncertainties; thus, astrophysical calibration is essential to obtain accurate data and to enable source localization. These well-localized, high signal-to-noise observations have the potential to offer precise measurements of source properties, stringent tests of general relativity, and informative dark siren measurements, provided that calibration uncertainties are properly incorporated. As detector sensitivity improves, astrophysical calibration will become an increasingly valuable complement to in-situ calibration measurements. Obtaining accurate calibration will be essential for precision gravitational-wave science.
