Testing gravitational-wave searches with numerical relativity waveforms: results from the first Numerical INJection Analysis (NINJA) project

Abstract

The Numerical INJection Analysis (NINJA) project is a collaborative effort\nbetween members of the numerical relativity and gravitational-wave data\nanalysis communities. The purpose of NINJA is to study the sensitivity of\nexisting gravitational-wave search algorithms using numerically generated\nwaveforms and to foster closer collaboration between the numerical relativity\nand data analysis communities. We describe the results of the first NINJA\nanalysis which focused on gravitational waveforms from binary black hole\ncoalescence. Ten numerical relativity groups contributed numerical data which\nwere used to generate a set of gravitational-wave signals. These signals were\ninjected into a simulated data set, designed to mimic the response of the\nInitial LIGO and Virgo gravitational-wave detectors. Nine groups analysed this\ndata using search and parameter-estimation pipelines. Matched filter\nalgorithms, un-modelled-burst searches and Bayesian parameter-estimation and\nmodel-selection algorithms were applied to the data. We report the efficiency\nof these search methods in detecting the numerical waveforms and measuring\ntheir parameters. We describe preliminary comparisons between the different\nsearch methods and suggest improvements for future NINJA analyses.\n