Searching for Asymmetric and Heavily Precessing Binary Black Holes in the Gravitational Wave Data from the LIGO Third Observing Run

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Abstract
Leveraging the features of the GstLAL pipeline, we present the results of a matched filtering search for asymmetric binary black hole systems with heavily misaligned spins in LIGO and Virgo data taken during the third observing run. Our target systems show strong imprints of precession whereas current searches have nonoptimal sensitivity in detecting them. After measuring the sensitivity improvement brought by our search over standard spin-aligned searches, we report the detection of 30 gravitational wave events already discovered in the latest version of the Gravitational Wave Transient Catalog. However, we do not find any additional significant gravitational wave candidates. Our results allow us to place an upper limit of R_{90%}=0.28_{-0.04}^{+0.33} Gpc^{-3} yr^{-1} on the merger rate of a hypothetical subpopulation of asymmetric, heavily precessing signals, not identified by other searches. Since our upper limit is consistent with the latest rate estimates from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration, our findings rule out the existence of a yet-to-be-discovered population of precessing binaries.
Funding Information
  • Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
  • National Science Foundation (PHY-2309332, PHY-0757058, PHY-0823459, PHY-2011865, OAC-2103662, PHY-1626190, PHY-1700765, PHY-2207728, PHY-2207594, PHY-2309332, PHY-1764464)
  • California Institute of Technology
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, Pennsylvania State University
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Science and Technology Facilities Council
  • Australian Research Council
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
  • Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
  • Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
  • National Research Foundation of Korea
  • Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea
  • Academia Sinica
  • National Science and Technology Council

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