False positives for gravitational lensing: the gravitational-wave perspective

Area of Science:

• Astrophysics
• Gravitational Wave Astronomy
• Cosmology

Background:

• The search for lensed gravitational waves (GWs) is crucial for astrophysical discovery.
• High scientific standards and opportunity costs necessitate robust detection methods.
• False positives pose a significant challenge in identifying lensed GW events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review sources of false positives and false negatives in gravitational wave lensing searches.
• To outline current community approaches for mitigating these errors.
• To ensure reliable detection of lensed gravitational waves.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of parameter similarity and waveform consistency in GW data.
• Investigating degeneracies between lensing, intrinsic parameters, and instrumental effects.
• Developing strategies to mitigate detector glitches and non-stationarities.

Main Results:

• Identified numerous potential sources of false positives in GW lensing searches.
• Highlighted the challenge of distinguishing lensed from unlensed coincident events.
• Emphasized the need to account for waveform degeneracies and instrumental artifacts.

Conclusions:

• Robust detection of lensed GWs requires stringent control of false positives.
• Mitigation strategies are essential for validating candidate events.
• Further research is needed to refine methods for identifying these rare phenomena.