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Creators/Authors contains: "Pajkos, Michael"

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  1. Abstract We develop and characterize a parameter estimation methodology for rotating core collapse supernovae based on the gravitational wave core bounce phase and real detector noise. Expanding on the evidence from numerical simulations for the deterministic nature of this gravitational wave emission and about the dependence on the ratio $$\beta$$ between rotational kinetic to potential energy, we propose an analytical model for the core bounce component which depends on $$\beta$$ and one phenomenological parameter. We validate the goodness of the model with a pool of representative waveforms. We use the fitting factor adopted in compact coalescing binary searches as a metric to quantify the goodness of the analytical model and the template bank generated by the model presents an average accuracy of 94.4\% when compared with the numerical simulations and is used as the basis for the work. The error for a matched filter frequentist parameter estimation of $$\beta$$ is evaluated. The results obtained considering real interferometric noise and a waveform at a distance of 10 kpc and optimal orientation, for one standard deviation estimation error of the rotation parameter \(\beta\) lie in the range of \(10^{-2}\) to \(10^{-3}\) as \(\beta\) increases. The results are also compared to the scenario where Gaussian recolored data is employed. The analytical model also allows for the first time, to compute theoretical minima in the error for $$\beta$$ for any type of estimator. Our analysis indicates that the presence of rotation would be detectable at 0.5 Mpc for third generation interferometers like CE or ET. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available April 29, 2026
  2. Abstract We analyze the directional dependence of the gravitational wave (GW) emission from 15 3D neutrino radiation hydrodynamic simulations of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe). Using spin weighted spherical harmonics, we develop a new analytic technique to quantify the evolution of the distribution of GW emission over all angles. We construct a physics-informed toy model that can be used to approximate GW distributions for general ellipsoid-like systems, and use it to provide closed form expressions for the distribution of GWs for different CCSN phases. Using these toy models, we approximate the protoneutron star (PNS) dynamics during multiple CCSN stages and obtain similar GW distributions to simulation outputs. When considering all viewing angles, we apply this new technique to quantify the evolution of preferred directions of GW emission. For nonrotating cases, this dominant viewing angle drifts isotropically throughout the supernova, set by the dynamical timescale of the PNS. For rotating cases, during core bounce and the following tens of milliseconds, the strongest GW signal is observed along the equator. During the accretion phase, comparable—if not stronger—GW amplitudes are generated along the axis of rotation, which can be enhanced by the lowT/∣W∣ instability. We show two dominant factors influencing the directionality of GW emission are the degree of initial rotation and explosion morphology. Lastly, looking forward, we note the sensitive interplay between GW detector site and supernova orientation, along with its effect on detecting individual polarization modes. 
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  3. SpECTRE is an open-source code for multi-scale, multi-physics problems in astrophysics and gravitational physics. In the future, we hope that it can be applied to problems across discipline boundaries in fluid dynamics, geoscience, plasma physics, nuclear physics, and engineering. It runs at petascale and is designed for future exascale computers. SpECTRE is being developed in support of our collaborative Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes (SXS) research program into the multi-messenger astrophysics of neutron star mergers, core-collapse supernovae, and gamma-ray bursts. 
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