Low latency detection of massive black hole binaries

The next decade is expected to see the launch of one or more space-based gravitational wave detectors: Taiji and TianQin. One of the primary scientific targets for these missions is the merger of black holes with masses between 103 M0 and 108 M0. These systems may produce detectable electromagnetic signatures in addition to gravitational waves due to the presence of gas in minidisks around each black hole, and a circumbinary disk surrounding the system. The electromagnetic emission may occur before, during, and after the merger. In order to have the best chance of capturing all phases of the emission, it is imperative that the gravitational wave signals be detected at low latency and used to produce reliable estimates for the sky location and distance to help guide the search for counterparts. Low latency detection also provides a starting point for the global fit of the myriad signals that are simultaneously present in the data. Here, a low latency analysis pipeline is presented that is capable of analyzing months of data in just a few hours using a laptop from the last decade. The problem of performing a global fit is avoided by whitening out the bright foreground produced by nearby galactic binaries. The performance of the pipeline is illustrated using simulated data from the LISA Data Challenge.

Automated summary

In the next decade, the launch of space-based gravitational wave detectors such as Taiji and TianQin is expected. These detectors aim to detect the merger of black holes with masses between 103 M0 and 108 M0, which may produce electromagnetic signals in addition to gravitational waves. Low latency detection of gravitational wave signals is crucial for capturing all phases of the emission and guiding the search for counterparts.