GW230814: investigation of a loud gravitational-wave signal observed with a single detector

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Armstrong, Steven and Ben Yaala, Marwa and Fazio, Mariana and Gier, Chalisa, The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, and the KAGRA Collaboration (2026) GW230814: investigation of a loud gravitational-wave signal observed with a single detector. Astrophysical Journal Letters, 1004 (2). L23. ISSN 2041-8213 (https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ae2ad3)

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Abstract

GW230814, detected by the LIGO Livingston observatory with a signal-to-noise ratio of 42.4, represents the loudest gravitational-wave signal in the GWTC-4.0 catalog. Its source is consistent with a binary black hole coalescence with component masses {m}_{1}=33.{7}_{-2.2}^{+2.9}\,{M}_{\odot } and {m}_{2}=28.{2}_{-3.1}^{+2.2}\,{M}_{\odot } and a small effective inspiral spin {\chi }_{{\rm{eff}}}=-0.0{1}_{-0.07}^{+0.06} . The high signal-to-noise ratio enabled us to detect an ℓ = ∣m∣ = 4 mode in the inspiral–merger–ringdown signal for the first time (with Bayes factor ≈10), as well as enabling a range of tests of consistency between theoretical predictions and the observed waveform. While most of these tests show agreement with theoretical predictions, there are suggestions of minor deviations in the ringdown phase. Simulations that incorporate general relativity and realistic detector noise reproduce similar deviations, suggesting that they do not constitute evidence for a breakdown of general relativity. The observation of GW230814 demonstrates that the unprecedented sensitivity of the detectors enables highly significant detections with a single observatory. However, without corroborating data from a multidetector network, the ability to draw rigorous conclusions about fundamental physics remains severely limited.

ORCID iDs

Armstrong, Steven, Ben Yaala, Marwa ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6754-0875, Fazio, Mariana ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9057-9663 and Gier, Chalisa ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0897-7943;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)