Applying the Viterbi algorithm to planetary-mass black hole searches

The search for subsolar mass primordial black holes (PBHs) poses a challenging problem due to the low signal-to-noise ratio, extended signal duration, and computational cost demands, compared to solar mass binary black hole events. In this paper, we explore the possibility of investigating the mass...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Alestas, George, Yamamoto, Takahiro S., Kuroyanagi, Sachiko, Nesseris, Savvas, Morras Gutiérrez, Gonzalo, García-Bellido Capdevila, Juan
Format: article
Publication Date:2024
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Repository:Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAM
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.uam.es:10486/716567
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10486/716567
https://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.109.123516
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Primordial black holes
dark matter
early universe
Física
Description
Summary:The search for subsolar mass primordial black holes (PBHs) poses a challenging problem due to the low signal-to-noise ratio, extended signal duration, and computational cost demands, compared to solar mass binary black hole events. In this paper, we explore the possibility of investigating the mass range between subsolar and planetary masses, which is not accessible using standard matched filtering and continuous wave searches. We propose a systematic approach employing the Viterbi algorithm, a dynamic programming algorithm that identifies the most likely sequence of hidden Markov states given a sequence of observations, to detect signals from small mass PBH binaries. We formulate the methodology, provide the optimal length for short-time Fourier transforms, and estimate sensitivity. Subsequently, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the Viterbi algorithm in identifying signals within mock data containing Gaussian noise. Our approach offers the primary advantage of being agnostic and computationally efficient