Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026
10:35
Bringing the Visible Universe into Focus with Robo-AO
Published on: February 12, 2013
Search for Subsolar Mass Ultracompact Binaries in Advanced LIGO's Second Observing Run.
B P Abbott1, R Abbott1, T D Abbott2
1LIGO, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|November 9, 2019
Summary
This study searched for subsolar mass ultracompact object mergers using Advanced LIGO data. No candidates were found, constraining the merger rates for these exotic objects and their potential dark matter contributions.
Area of Science:
- Gravitational-wave astronomy
- Astrophysics
- Cosmology
Background:
- Subsolar mass ultracompact objects are theoretical objects not formed through standard stellar evolution.
- Their formation may be linked to primordial density fluctuations or exotic dark matter interactions.
- Previous searches in Advanced LIGO data did not include component spin effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To search for gravitational-wave signals from subsolar mass ultracompact object binaries.
- To incorporate component spin effects into the gravitational waveform analysis.
- To constrain the merger rates and dark matter fraction of these objects.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from Advanced LIGO's second observing run.
- Inclusion of component spin in gravitational waveform modeling.
- Application of matched filtering techniques to identify potential candidates.
Main Results:
- No viable gravitational-wave candidates consistent with subsolar mass ultracompact binaries were detected.
- Upper limits were placed on the merger rates for binaries with components between 0.2 and 1.0 solar masses.
- Constraints were derived on the dark matter fraction attributable to merging 0.2 and 1.0 solar mass black holes.
Conclusions:
- The null result significantly constrains the existence and merger rates of subsolar mass ultracompact binaries.
- These findings impact models of primordial black hole formation and their contribution to dark matter.
- The study provides a framework for extending constraints to various black hole population models.
Related Concept Videos
02:10Additional Subnuclear Structures
The eukaryotic nucleus is a double membrane-bound organelle that contains nearly all of the cell’s genetic material in the form of chromosomes. It is rightly called the “brain” of the cell as it shoulders the responsibility of responding to various physiological processes, stress, altered metabolic conditions, and other cellular signals.
The nucleus contains many membrane-less subnuclear organelles or nuclear bodies, such as nucleoli, Cajal bodies, speckles, paraspeckles, etc. These nuclear...
The nucleus contains many membrane-less subnuclear organelles or nuclear bodies, such as nucleoli, Cajal bodies, speckles, paraspeckles, etc. These nuclear...
01:10Detection of Black Holes
Although black holes were theoretically postulated in the 1920s, they remained outside the domain of observational astronomy until the 1970s.
Their closest cousins are neutron stars, which are composed almost entirely of neutrons packed against each other, making them extremely dense. A neutron star has the same mass as the Sun but its diameter is only a few kilometers. Therefore, the escape velocity from their surface is close to the speed of light.
Not until the 1960s, when the first neutron...
Their closest cousins are neutron stars, which are composed almost entirely of neutrons packed against each other, making them extremely dense. A neutron star has the same mass as the Sun but its diameter is only a few kilometers. Therefore, the escape velocity from their surface is close to the speed of light.
Not until the 1960s, when the first neutron...
01:14Gravitation Between Spherically Symmetric Masses
The gravitational potential energy between two spherically symmetric bodies can be calculated from the masses and the distance between the bodies, assuming that the center of mass is concentrated at the respective centers of the bodies.
01:12Reduced Mass Coordinates: Isolated Two-body Problem
In classical mechanics, the two-body problem is one of the fundamental problems describing the motion of two interacting bodies under gravity or any other central force. When considering the motion of two bodies, one of the most important concepts is the reduced mass coordinates, a quantity that allows the two-body problem to be solved like a single-body problem. In these circumstances, it is assumed that a single body with reduced mass revolves around another body fixed in a position with an...
01:20Second Order systems I
A servo system exemplifies a second-order system, featuring a proportional controller and load elements that ensure the output position aligns with the input position. The relationship between these components is described by a second-order differential equation. Applying the Laplace transform under zero initial conditions yields the transfer function, showing how inputs are converted to outputs in the system.
By reinterpreting the system, one can derive the closed-loop transfer function, which...
By reinterpreting the system, one can derive the closed-loop transfer function, which...
01:18Second Order systems II
In an underdamped second-order system, where the damping ratio ζ is between 0 and 1, a unit-step input results in a transfer function that, when transformed using the inverse Laplace method, reveals the output response. The output exhibits a damped sinusoidal oscillation, and the difference between the input and output is termed the error signal. This error signal also demonstrates damped oscillatory behavior. Eventually, as the system reaches a steady state, the error diminishes to zero.
If ζ...
If ζ...