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Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) span the approximate mass range 100−10 5 M ⊙ , between black holes (BHs) that formed by stellar collapse and the supermassive BHs at the centers of galaxies. Mergers of IMBH binaries are the most energetic gravitational-wave sources accessible by the terrestrial detector network. Searches of the first two observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo did not yield any significant IMBH binary signals. In the third observing run (O3), the increased network sensitivity enabled the detection of GW190521, a signal consistent with a binary merger of mass ∼150 M ⊙ providing direct evidence of IMBH formation. Here, we report on a dedicated search of O3 data for further IMBH binary mergers, combining both modeled (matched filter) and model-independent search methods. We find some marginal candidates, but none are sufficiently significant to indicate detection of further IMBH mergers. We quantify the sensitivity of the individual search methods and of the combined search using a suite of IMBH binary signals obtained via numerical relativity, including the effects of spins misaligned with the binary orbital axis, and present the resulting upper limits on astrophysical merger rates. Our most stringent limit is for equal mass and aligned spin BH binary of total mass 200 M ⊙ and effective aligned spin 0.8 at 0.056 Gpc −3 yr −1 (90% confidence), a factor of 3.5 more constraining than previous LIGO-Virgo limits. We also update the estimated rate of mergers similar to GW190521 to 0.08 Gpc −3 yr −1 .
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This content will become publicly available on December 26, 2025
Hierarchical Searches for Subsolar-mass Binaries and the Third-generation Gravitational Wave Detector Era
Abstract Detecting gravitational waves (GWs) from coalescing compact binaries has become routine with ground-based detectors like Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. However, beyond standard sources such as binary black holes and neutron stars and neutron star black holes, no exotic sources revealing new physics have been discovered. Detecting ultracompact objects, such as subsolar mass (SSM), offers a promising opportunity to explore diverse astrophysical populations. However, searching for these objects using standard matched-filtering techniques is computationally intensive due to the dense parameter space involved. This increasing computational demand not only challenges current search methodologies but also poses a significant obstacle for third-generation (3G) ground-based GW detectors. In the 3G detectors, signals are expected to be observed for tens of minutes and detection rates to reach one per minute. This requires efficient search strategies to manage the computational load of long-duration signal search. In this paper, we demonstrate how hierarchical search strategies can address the computational challenges associated with detecting long-duration signals in current detectors and the 3G era. Using SSM searches as an example, we show that optimizing data sampling rates and adjusting the number of templates in matched filtering at each stage of low-frequency searches can improve the signal-to-noise ratio by 6% and detection volume by 10%–20%. This sensitivity improvement is achieved with a 2.5-fold reduction in computational time compared to standard PyCBC searches. We also discuss how this approach could be adapted and refined for searches involving eccentric and precessing binaries with future detectors.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2309240
- PAR ID:
- 10580403
- Publisher / Repository:
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Volume:
- 978
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0004-637X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 69
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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