Publications

From the gates of the abyss: Frequency- and polarization-dependent lensing of gravitational waves in strong gravitational fields

Published in , 2022

Abstract:
The propagation of gravitational waves can be described in terms of null geodesics by using the geometrical optics approximation. However, at large but finite frequencies the propagation is affected by the spin-orbit coupling corrections to geometrical optics, known as the gravitational spin Hall effect. Consequently, gravitational waves follow slightly different frequency- and polarization-dependent trajectories. We study the potential for detection of the gravitational spin Hall effect in hierarchical triple black hole systems, consisting of an emitting binary orbiting a more massive body, acting as a gravitational lens. We calculate the difference in time of arrival with respect to the geodesic propagation and find that it follows a simple power law dependence on frequency with a fixed exponent. We calculate the gravitational spin Hall-corrected waveform and its mismatch with respect to the original waveform. The waveform carries a measurable imprint of the strong gravitational field if the source, lens and observer are sufficiently aligned or for generic observers if the source is close enough to the lens. We demonstrate that the gravitational spin Hall effect can be detected, providing an interesting avenue to probe general relativity and the environments of compact binary systems.

Recommended citation: "From the gates of the abyss: Frequency- and polarization-dependent lensing of gravitational waves in strong gravitational fields" M. A. Oancea, R. Stiskalek, M. Zumalacárregui. [arXiv:2209.06459]. https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.06459

The scatter in the galaxy–halo connection: a machine learning analysis

Published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2022

Abstract:
We apply machine learning, a powerful method for uncovering complex correlations in high-dimensional data, to the galaxy-halo connection of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. The mapping between galaxy and halo variables is stochastic in the absence of perfect information, but conventional machine learning models are deterministic and hence cannot capture its intrinsic scatter. To overcome this limitation, we design an ensemble of neural networks with a Gaussian loss function that predict probability distributions, allowing us to model statistical uncertainties in the galaxy-halo connection as well as its best-fit trends. We extract a number of galaxy and halo variables from the Horizon-AGN and IllustrisTNG100-1 simulations and quantify the extent to which knowledge of some subset of one enables prediction of the other. This allows us to identify the key features of the galaxy-halo connection and investigate the origin of its scatter in various projections. We find that while halo properties beyond mass account for up to 50 per cent of the scatter in the halo-to-stellar mass relation, the prediction of stellar half-mass radius or total gas mass is not substantially improved by adding further halo properties. We also use these results to investigate semi-analytic models for galaxy size in the two simulations, finding that assumptions relating galaxy size to halo size or spin are not successful.

Recommended citation: "The scatter in the galaxy--halo connection: a machine learning analysis" Richard Stiskalek, Deaglan J. Bartlett, Harry Desmond, Dhayaa Anbajagane. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2022). https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab1845

The dependence of subhalo abundance matching on galaxy photometry and selection criteria

Published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2021

Abstract:
Subhalo abundance matching (SHAM) is a popular technique for assigning galaxy mass or luminosity to haloes produced in N-body simulations. The method works by matching the cumulative number functions of the galaxy and halo properties, and is therefore sensitive both to the precise definitions of those properties and to the selection criteria used to define the samples. Further dependence follows when SHAM parameters are calibrated with galaxy clustering, which is known to depend strongly on the manner in which galaxies are selected. In this paper we introduce a new parametrization for SHAM and derive the best-fitting SHAM parameters as a function of various properties of the selection of the galaxy sample and of the photometric definition, including Sérsic versus Petrosian magnitudes, stellar masses versus r-band magnitudes, and optical (Sloan Digital Sky Survey) versus HI (ALFALFA) selection. In each case we calculate the models’ goodness-of-fit to measurements of the projected two-point galaxy correlation function. In the optically selected samples we find strong evidence that the scatter in the galaxy–halo connection increases towards the faint end, and that AM performs better with luminosity than stellar mass. The SHAM parameters of optically and HI-selected galaxies are mutually exclusive, with the latter suggesting the importance of properties beyond halo mass. We provide best-fitting parameters for the SHAM galaxy–halo connection as a function of each of our input choices, extending the domain of validity of the model while reducing potential systematic error in its use.

Recommended citation: "The dependence of subhalo abundance matching on galaxy photometry and selection criteria" R. Stiskalek, H. Desmond, T. Holvey, M. G. Jones. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2021). https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab1845

Are stellar–mass binary black hole mergers isotropically distributed?

Published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2020

Abstract:
The Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo gravitational wave detectors have detected a population of binary black hole mergers in their first two observing runs. For each of these events, we have been able to associate a potential sky location region represented as a probability distribution on the sky. Thus, at this point we may begin to ask the question of whether this distribution agrees with the isotropic model of the Universe, or if there is any evidence of anisotropy. We perform Bayesian model selection between an isotropic and a simple anisotropic model, taking into account the anisotropic selection function caused by the underlying antenna patterns and sensitivity of the interferometers over the sidereal day. We find an inconclusive Bayes factor of 1.3: 1, suggesting that the data from the first two observing runs are insufficient to pick a preferred model. However, the first detections were mostly poorly localized in the sky (before the Advanced Virgo joined the network), spanning large portions of the sky and hampering detection of potential anisotropy. It will be appropriate to repeat this analysis with events from the recent third LIGO observational run and a more sophisticated cosmological model.

Recommended citation: "Are stellar-mass binary black hole mergers isotropically distributed?" R. Stiskalek, J. Veitch & C. Messenger. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2020). https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa3613