Glossary
- BBH
- Binary black hole system, a binary system composed of two black holes.
- BNS
- Binary neutron star, a binary system composed of two neutron stars.
- BNS range
- A figure of merit to describe the sensitivity of a gravitational-wave
detector to BNS mergers, defined as the average luminosity
distance at which the merger of two \(1.4~M_\odot\) objects would
be detectable with a signal to noise ratio of 8. Seel also Burst
range.
- Burst range
- A figure of merit to describe the sensitivity of a gravitational-wave
detector to unmodeled bursts, defined with reference to optimistic
models of gravitational wave emissions from stellar collapse as the
average luminosity distance at which a monochromatic burst at 150 Hz
with a fluence of \(E_\mathrm{GW} = 10^{-2} M_\odot c^2\) would be
detectable with a signal to noise ratio of 8. Seel also BNS
range.
- CBC
- Compact binary coalescence.
- FITS
- Flexible Image Transport System, a format for astronomical tables,
images, and multidimensional data sets.
- GCN
- The Gamma-ray Coordinates Network (https://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov), a portal
for discoveries and observations of astronomical transients.
Historically, GCN has served high-energy satellites but now also other
electromagnetic wavelengths and also gravitational-wave, cosmic ray,
and neutrino facilities.
- GCN Circular
- A human-readable astronomical bulletin distributed through GCN.
- GCN Notice
- A machine-readable alert distributed through GCN.
- GraceDB
- Gravitational Wave Candidate Event Database (https://gracedb.ligo.org),
the official public marshal portal for LIGO/Virgo candidates.
- GRB
- Gamma-ray burst.
- HEALPix
- Hierarchical Equal Area isoLatitude Pixelation, a scheme for indexing
positions on the unit sphere.
- HEN
- High Energy Neutrino, particularly in the context of multi-messenger
GW+HEN follow-up.
- KAGRA
- Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector, an underground gravitational-wave
detector in the Kamioka mine in Japan.
- LHO
- LIGO Hanford Observatory (see LHO observatory home page), site of a 4 km gravitational-wave
detector in Hanford, Washington, USA.
- LLO
- LIGO Livingston Observatory (see LLO observatory home page), site of a 4 km gravitational-wave
detector in Livingston, Louisiana, USA.
- MassGap
- Compact binary systems with at least one compact object whose mass is
in the hypothetical “mass gap” between neutron stars and black holes,
defined here as 3-5 solar masses.
- NSBH
- Neutron star black hole, a binary system composed of one neutron star
and one black hole.
- SN
- Supernova.
- Virgo
- Virgo Observatory (see Virgo observatory home page), site of a 3 km gravitational-wave detector
in Cascina, Italy.
- VOEvent
- An XML format for describing astronomical transients. For the
specification, see the official VOEvent IVOA Recommendation.
- VTP
- VOEvent Transport Protocol, a simple TCP-based protocol for sending and
receiving VOEvents, used by GCN. For the specification, see the
official VTP IVOA recommendation.