Graphics processing unit implementation of the F-statistic for continuous gravitational wave searches

The F-statistic is a detection statistic used widely in searches for continuous gravitational waves with terrestrial, long-baseline interferometers. A new implementation of the F-statistic is presented which accelerates the existing 'resampling' algorithm using graphics processing units (GPUs). The new implementation runs between 10 and 100 times faster than the existing implementation on central processing units without sacrificing numerical accuracy. The utility of the GPU implementation is demonstrated on a pilot narrowband search for four newly discovered millisecond pulsars in the globular cluster Omega Centauri using data from the second Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory observing run. The computational cost is 17.2 GPU-hours using the new implementation, compared to 1092 core-hours with the existing implementation.

Automated summary

This article presents a new implementation of the F-statistic which uses graphics processing units (GPUs) to accelerate the existing algorithm, resulting in significantly faster computation speed while maintaining numerical accuracy. The utility of the GPU implementation is demonstrated through a successful narrowband search for newly discovered millisecond pulsars in a specific globular cluster.