Distributed processing across gravitational wave detector streams to determine wave orientation

Abstract

A method to determine the orientation and speed of a gravitational wave is described based on a coordinate system that is oriented along the inter-detector unit vectors across a network of detectors that successively detected the wave in time. A set of normalized wave propagation constraints are determined for the successive wave traversal events through the detectors based on the time of arrival at the detectors, to estimate the orientation and speed of the wave. Distributed processing across detectors based on cross-correlation of detector streams is suggested to determine the difference in arrival times across detectors, and to determine the sequence of wave arrivals across a network of detectors. From the inter-arrival time information across detectors, the wave orientation and speed can be determined.