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S. Ballmer, 13 B. C. Barish, 12 C. Barker, 14 D. Barker,14 M. Barnes, 12, b B. Barr,35 M. A. Barton,12 K. Bayer,13 R. Beausoleil, 26, c K. Belczynski,23 R. Bennett, 35, d S. J. Berukoff, 1, e J. Betzwieser, 13 B. Bhawal,12 I. A. Bilenko,20 G. Billingsley,12 E. Black,12 K. Blackburn, 12 L. Blackburn, 13 B. Bland,14 B. Bochner, 13, f L. Bogue, 12 R. Bork,12 S. Bose, 40 P. R. Brady, 39 V. B. Braginsky, 20

We search for coincident gravitational wave signals from inspiralling neutron star binaries using LIGO and TAMA300 data taken during early 2003. Using a simple trigger exchange method, we perform an intercollaboration coincidence search during times when TAMA300 and only one of the LIGO sites were operational. We find no evidence of any gravitational wave signals. We place an observational upper limit on the rate of binary neutron star coalescence with component masses between 1 and 3M of 49 per year per Milky Way equivalent galaxy at a 90% confidence level. The methods developed during this search will find application in future network inspiral analyses.

The LIGO interferometers are operating as gravitational wave observatories, with a noise level near an order of magnitude of the goal and the first scientific data recently taken. This data has been analyzed for four different categories of gravitational wave sources; millisecond bursts, inspiralling binary neutron stars, periodic waves from a known pulsar, and stochastic background. Research and development is also underway for the next generation LIGO detector, Advanced LIGO.

We place direct upper limits on the amplitude of gravitational waves from 28 isolated radio pulsars by a coherent multidetector analysis of the data collected during the second science run of the LIGO interferometric detectors. These are the first direct upper limits for 26 of the 28 pulsars. We use coordinated radio observations for the first time to build radio-guided phase templates for the expected gravitational-wave signals. The unprecedented sensitivity of the detectors allows us to set strain upper limits as low as a few times 10(-24). These strain limits translate into limits on the equatorial ellipticities of the pulsars, which are smaller than 10(-5) for the four closest pulsars.

We perform a search for gravitational wave bursts using data from the second science run of the LIGO detectors, using a method based on a wavelet time-frequency decomposition. This search is sensitive to bursts of duration much less than a second and with frequency content in the 100-1100 Hz range. It features significant improvements in the instrument sensitivity and in the analysis pipeline with respect to the burst search previously reported by LIGO. Improvements in the search method allow exploring weaker signals, relative to the detector noise floor, while maintaining a low false alarm rate, O(0.1) mu Hz. The sensitivity in terms of the root-sum-square (rss) strain amplitude lies in the range of h(rss)similar to 10(-20)-10(-19) Hz(-1/2). No gravitational wave signals were detected in 9.98 days of analyzed data. We interpret the search result in terms of a frequentist upper limit on the rate of detectable gravitational wave bursts at the level of 0.26 events per day at 90% confidence level. We combine this limit with measurements of the detection efficiency for selected waveform morphologies in order to yield rate versus strength exclusion curves as well as to establish order-of-magnitude distance sensitivity to certain modeled astrophysical sources. Both the rate upper limit and its applicability to signal strengths improve our previously reported limits and reflect the most sensitive broad-band search for untriggered and unmodeled gravitational wave bursts to date.

We perform a wide parameter space search for continuous gravitational waves over the whole sky and over a large range of values of the frequency and the first spin-down parameter. Our search method is based on the Hough transform, which is a semi-coherent, computationally efficient, and robust pattern recognition technique. We apply this technique to data from the second science run of the LIGO detectors and our final results are all-sky upper limits on the strength of gravitational waves emitted by unknown isolated spinning neutron stars on a set of narrow frequency bands in the range 200-$400 $Hz. The best upper limit on the gravitational wave strain amplitude that we obtain in this frequency range is $4.43\times 10^{-23}$.

We use 373 hours (approximate to 15 days) of data from the second science run of the LIGO gravitational-wave detectors to search for signals from binary neutron star coalescences within a maximum distance of about 1.5 Mpc, a volume of space which includes the Andromeda Galaxy and other galaxies of the Local Group of galaxies. This analysis requires a signal to be found in data from detectors at the two LIGO sites, according to a set of coincidence criteria. The background (accidental coincidence rate) is determined from the data and is used to judge the significance of event candidates. No inspiral gravitational-wave events were identified in our search. Using a population model which includes the Local Group, we establish an upper limit of less than 47 inspiral events per year per Milky Way equivalent galaxy with 90% confidence for nonspinning binary neutron star systems with component masses between 1 and 3M.

We use data from the second science run of the LIGO gravitational-wave detectors to search for the gravitational waves from primordial black hole binary coalescence with component masses in the range 0.2–1.0M⊙. The analysis requires a signal to be found in the data from both LIGO observatories, according to a set of coincidence criteria. No inspiral signals were found. Assuming a spherical halo with core radius 5 kpc extending to 50 kpc containing nonspinning black holes with masses in the range 0.2–1.0M⊙, we place an observational upper limit on the rate of primordial black hole coalescence of 63 per year per Milky Way halo (MWH) with 90% confidence.

B. Abbott, R. Abbott, R. Adhikari, A. Ageev, B. Allen, R. Amin, S. B. Anderson, W. G. Anderson, M. Araya, H. Armandula, M. Ashley, F. Asiri, P. Aufmuth, C. Aulbert, S. Babak, R. Balasubramanian, S. Ballmer, B. C. Barish, C. Barker, D. Barker, M. Barnes, B. Barr, M. A. Barton, K. Bayer, R. Beausoleil, K. Belczynski, R. Bennett, S. J. Berukoff, J. Betzwieser, B. Bhawal, I. A. Bilenko, G. Billingsley, E. Black, K. Blackburn, L. Blackburn, B. Bland, B. Bochner, L. Bogue, R. Bork, S. Bose, P. R. Brady, V. B. Braginsky, J. E. Brau, D. A. Brown, A. Bullington, A. Bunkowski, A. Buonanno, R. Burgess, D. Busby, W. E. Butler, R. L. Byer, L. Cadonati, G. Cagnoli, J. B. Camp, J. K. Cannizzo, C. A. Cantley, L. Cardenas, K. Carter, M. M. Casey, J. Castiglione, A. Chandler, J. Chapsky, P. Charlton, S. Chatterji, S. Chelkowski, Y. Chen, V. Chickarmane, D. Chin, N. Christensen, D. Churches, T. Cokelaer, C. Colacino, R. Coldwell, M. Coles, D. Cook, T. Corbitt, D. Coyne, J. D. E. Creighton, T. D. Creighton, D. R. M. Crooks, P. Csatorday, B. J. Cusack, C. Cutler, E. D’Ambrosio, K. Danzmann, E. Daw, D. DeBra, T. Delker, V. Dergachev, R. DeSalvo, S. Dhurandhar, A. Di Credico, M. Diaz, H. Ding, R. W. P. Drever, R. J. Dupuis, J. A. Edlund, P. Ehrens, E. J. Elliffe, T. Etzel, M. Evans, T. Evans, S. Fairhurst, C. Fallnich, D. Farnham, M. M. Fejer, T. Findley, M. Fine, L. S. Finn, K. Y. Franzen, A. Freise, R. Frey, P. Fritschel, V. V. Frolov, M. Fyffe, K. S. Ganezer, J. Garofoli, J. A. Giaime, A. Gillespie, K. Goda, G. González, S. Goßler, P. Grandclément, A. Grant, C. Gray, A. M. Gretarsson, D. Grimmett, H. Grote, S. Grunewald, M. Guenther, E. Gustafson, R. Gustafson, W. O. Hamilton, M. Hammond, J. Hanson, C. Hardham, J. Harms, G. Harry, A. Hartunian, J. Heefner, Y. Hefetz, G. Heinzel, I. S. Heng, M. Hennessy, N. Hepler, A. Heptonstall, M. Heurs, M. Hewitson, S. Hild, N. Hindman, P. Hoang, J. Hough, M. Hrynevych, W. Hua, M. Ito, Y. Itoh, A. Ivanov, O. Jennrich, B. Johnson, W. W. Johnson, W. R. Johnston, D. I. Jones, L. Jones, D. Jungwirth, V. Kalogera, E. Katsavounidis, K. Kawabe, S. Kawamura, W. Kells, J. Kern, A. Khan, S. Killbourn, C. J. Killow, C. Kim, C. King, P. King, S. Klimenko, S. Koranda, K. Kötter, J. Kovalik, D. Kozak, B. Krishnan, M. Landry, J. Langdale, B. Lantz, R. Lawrence, A. Lazzarini, M. Lei, I. Leonor, K. Libbrecht, A. Libson, P. Lindquist, S. Liu, J. Logan, M. Lormand, M. Lubinski, H. Lück, T. T. Lyons, B. Machenschalk, M. MacInnis, M. Mageswaran, K. Mailand, W. Majid, M. Malec, F. Mann, A. Marin, S. Márka, E. Maros, J. Mason, K. Mason, O. Matherny, L. Matone, N. Mavalvala, R. McCarthy, D. E. McClelland, M. McHugh, J. W. C. McNabb, G. Mendell, R. A. Mercer, S. Meshkov, E. Messaritaki, C. Messenger, V. P. Mitrofanov, G. Mitselmakher, R. Mittleman, O. Miyakawa, S. Miyoki, S. Mohanty, G. Moreno, K. Mossavi, G. Mueller, S. Mukherjee, P. Murray, J. Myers, S. Nagano, T. Nash, R. Nayak, G. Newton, F. Nocera, J. S. Noel, P. Nutzman, T. Olson, B. O’Reilly, D. J. Ottaway, A. Ottewill, D. Ouimette, H. Overmier, B. J. Owen, Y. Pan, M. A. Papa, V. Parameshwaraiah, C. Parameswariah, M. Pedraza, S. Penn, M. Pitkin, M. Plissi, R. Prix, V. Quetschke, F. Raab, H. Radkins, R. Rahkola, M. Rakhmanov, S. R. Rao, K. Rawlins, S. Ray-Majumder, V. Re, D. Redding, M. W. Regehr, T. Regimbau, S. Reid, K. T. Reilly, K. Reithmaier, D. H. Reitze, S. Richman, R. Riesen, K. Riles, B. Rivera, A. Rizzi, D. I. Robertson, N. A. Robertson, L. Robison, S. Roddy, J. Rollins, J. D. Romano, J. Romie, H. Rong, D. Rose, E. Rotthoff, S. Rowan, A. Rüdiger, P. Russell, K. Ryan, I. Salzman, V. Sandberg, G. H. Sanders, V. Sannibale, B. Sathyaprakash, P. R. Saulson, R. Savage, A. Sazonov, R. Schilling, K. Schlaufman, V. Schmidt, R. Schnabel, R. Schofield, B. F. Schutz, P. Schwinberg, S. M. Scott, S. E. Seader, A. C. Searle, B. Sears, S. Seel, F. Seifert, A. S. Sengupta, C. A. Shapiro, P. Shawhan, D. H. Shoemaker, Q. Z. Shu, A. Sibley, X. Siemens, L. Sievers, D. Sigg, A. M. Sintes, J. R. Smith, M. Smith, M. R. Smith, P. H. Sneddon, R. Spero, G. Stapfer, D. Steussy, K. A. Strain, D. Strom, A. Stuver, T. Summerscales, M. C. Sumner, P. J. Sutton, J. Sylvestre, A. Takamori, D. B. Tanner, H. Tariq, I. Taylor, R. Taylor, R. Taylor, K. A. Thorne, K. S. Thorne, M. Tibbits, S. Tilav, M. Tinto, K. V. Tokmakov, C. Torres, C. Torrie, G. Traylor, W. Tyler, D. Ugolini, C. Ungarelli, M. Vallisneri, M. van Putten, S. Vass, A. Vecchio, J. Veitch, C. Vorvick, S. P. Vyachanin, L. Wallace, H. Walther, H. Ward, B. Ware, K. Watts, D. Webber, A. Weidner, U. Weiland, A. Weinstein, R. Weiss, H. Welling, L. Wen, S. Wen, J. T. Whelan, S. E. Whitcomb, B. F. Whiting, S. Wiley, C. Wilkinson, P. A. Willems, P. R. Williams, R. Williams, B. Willke, A. Wilson, B. J. Winjum, W. Winkler, S. Wise, A. G. Wiseman,

We present the analysis of between 50 and 100 h of coincident interferometric strain data used to search for and establish an upper limit on a stochastic background of gravitational radiation. These data come from the first LIGO science run, during which all three LIGO interferometers were operated over a 2-week period spanning August and September of 2002. The method of cross correlating the outputs of two interferometers is used for analysis. We describe in detail practical signal processing issues that arise when working with real data, and we establish an observational upper limit on a f(-3) power spectrum of gravitational waves. Our 90% confidence limit is Omega(0)h(100)(2)less than or equal to23+/-4.6 in the frequency band 40-314 Hz, where h(100) is the Hubble constant in units of 100 km/sec/Mpc and Omega(0) is the gravitational wave energy density per logarithmic frequency interval in units of the closure density. This limit is approximately 10(4) times better than the previous, broadband direct limit using interferometric detectors, and nearly 3 times better than the best narrow-band bar detector limit. As LIGO and other worldwide detectors improve in sensitivity and attain their design goals, the analysis procedures described here should lead to stochastic background sensitivity levels of astrophysical interest.

For 17 days in August and September 2002, the LIGO and GEO interferometer gravitational wave detectors were operated in coincidence to produce their first data for scientific analysis. Although the detectors were still far from their design sensitivity levels, the data can be used to place better upper limits on the flux of gravitational waves incident on the earth than previous direct measurements. This paper describes the instruments and the data in some detail, as a companion to analysis papers based on the first data.

We report on a search for gravitational waves from coalescing compact binary systems in the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds. The analysis uses data taken by two of the three LIGO interferometers during the first LIGO science run and illustrates a method of setting upper limits on inspiral event rates using interferometer data. The analysis pipeline is described with particular attention to data selection and coincidence between the two interferometers. We establish an observational upper limit of R<1.7x10(2) per year per Milky Way Equivalent Galaxy (MWEG), with 90% confidence, on the coalescence rate of binary systems in which each component has a mass in the range 1-3 M.

The first science run of the LIGO and GEO gravitational wave detectors presented the opportunity to test methods of searching for gravitational waves from known pulsars. Here we present new direct upper limits on the strength of waves from the pulsar PSR J1939+2134 using two independent analysis methods, one in the frequency domain using frequentist statistics and one in the time domain using Bayesian inference. Both methods show that the strain amplitude at Earth from this pulsar is less than a few times 10−22.

Data collected by the GEO 600 and LIGO interferometric gravitational wave detectors during their first observational science run were searched for continuous gravitational waves from the pulsar J1939+2134 at twice its rotation frequency. Two independent analysis methods were used and are demonstrated in this paper: a frequency domain method and a time domain method. Both achieve consistent null results, placing new upper limits on the strength of the pulsar’s gravitational wave emission. A model emission mechanism is used to interpret the limits as a constraint on the pulsar’s equatorial ellipticity.

We report on measurements performed with the Glasgow prototype gravitational wave detector which has recently been converted to operate with a Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm. The differential displacement amplitude spectral density above a few hundred Hz is ∼5×10−19m/Hz which is consistent with the limitations imposed by shot noise in this frequency range. We also present sensitivity spectra over a lower frequency regime to highlight the impact of improved suspension designs.

A technique is described to actively damp the fundamental violin mode resonances of the suspension wires used in the high-Q multi-stage pendulum systems found in interferometric gravitational wave detectors. The damping procedure utilises sensing signals and actuators that already exist in the control topology for such interferometers, making for very convenient practical implementation. An experimental demonstration of the damping technique applied to the double pendulum suspensions used in the Glasgow 10m prototype interferometer is presented. The decay times of the violin modes associated with these suspensions, which occured typically at around 400Hz, were reduced from of order 100 seconds to around 1 second or less without degrading the interferometer noise performance.