LIGO Seminar

https://caltech.zoom.us/j/82072539167

Title: "Towards improving the sensitivity of GW burst searches on repeating sources" with Kara Merfeld

Abstract: Magnetars are neutron stars with exceptionally strong magnetic fields, on the order of 10^14-10^15 G. They are known to exhibit intermittent x-ray flaring activity, the internal driving mechanism of which is unknown. They are also theorized to be the source of at least some Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). In this talk I present the gravitational-wave follow-up search of the magnetar x-ray flares in the third observing run of LIGO/Virgo, and a similar gravitational-wave follow-up search over FRBs in O3a. I also discuss the development of a 'stacked' search over repeating sources for implementation in O4, as well as presenting two of the detchar and commissioning projects that I worked on as a LSC Fellow in 2018-2019.