Description
After two black holes merge, the final black hole emits a ringdown signal composed of quasi-normal modes whose frequencies and decay times are set by its mass and spin. Measuring these modes tests general relativity in the strong-field regime, as the theory predicts a specific relationship between them.
Such tests rely on calibration, the conversion of the detector's raw output into physical strain, which carries small amplitude and phase uncertainties. We show that neglecting these uncertainties systematically biases the recovered mass and spin, and can reproduce the signature of a deviation from general relativity even when none is present.
We present a calibration-aware ringdown analysis that accounts for these uncertainties directly. Applied to simulated signals with injected miscalibration, it recovers the true mass and spin where a standard analysis fails, preventing spurious detections of deviations from GR. We are now extending it to observed events and preparing it for use within the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA ringdown analysis.
| I am the presenting author | Yes |
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