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Peer-reviewedCC BYThe Astrophysical Journal Letters

GW230814: Investigation of a Loud Gravitational-wave Signal Observed with a Single Detector

  • Adrian Abac1
  • I. Abouelfettouh2
  • F. Acernese3,4
  • K. Ackley5
  • Christian Adamcewicz6
  • S. Adhicary7
  • D. Adhikari8,1
  • N. Adhikari9
  • R. X. Adhikari10
  • V. K. Adkins11
  • Samsuzzaman Afroz12
  • A. Agapito13
88 more authors
  • D. Agarwal14
  • M. Agathos15
  • Nancy Aggarwal16
  • S. Aggarwal17
  • Odylio D. Aguiar18
  • I.-L. Ahrend19
  • L. Aiello4,20
  • A. Ain21
  • P. Ajith22
  • Tomotada Akutsu23,24
  • Simone Albanesi25,26
  • W. Ali27,4
  • S. Al-Kershi8,1
  • C. Alléné28
  • A. Allocca4,29
  • S. Al-Shammari30
  • P. A. Altin6
  • S. Álvarez-López10
  • W. Amar28
  • O. Amarasinghe30
  • A. Amato31,32
  • F. Amicucci4,33
  • Claude Amra34
  • A. Ananyeva10
  • S. B. Anderson10
  • Warren G. Anderson10
  • M. Andia35
  • M. Ando36
  • Marc Andrés-Carcasona37
  • T. Andrić38,4,8,1
  • J. Anglin39
  • Stefano Ansoldi40,4
  • Javier Mauricio Antelis
  • S. Antier35
  • M. Aoumi
  • E. Z. Appavuravther4
  • S. Appert10
  • S. K. Apple
  • Koji Arai10
  • A. Araya36
  • M. C. Araya10
  • Manuel Arca Sedda38,4
  • J. S. Areeda
  • N. Aritomi2
  • F. Armato27,4
  • Sharon Armstrong
  • N. Arnaud
  • M. Arogeti

60 listed; 100 in total.

40 affiliations
  1. 1Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
  2. 2LIGO Hanford Observatory
  3. 3Dipartimento di Farmacia
  4. 4INFN
  5. 5University of Warwick
  6. 6OzGrav
  7. 7The Pennsylvania State University
  8. 8Leibniz Universität Hannover
  9. 9University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
  10. 10LIGO Laboratory
  11. 11Louisiana State University
  12. 12Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
  13. 13Centre de Physique Théorique
  14. 14Université catholique de Louvain
  15. 15Queen Mary University of London
  16. 16University of California
  17. 17University of Minnesota
  18. 18Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais
  19. 19Université Paris Cité
  20. 20Università di Roma Tor Vergata
  21. 21Universiteit Antwerpen
  22. 22International Centre for Theoretical Sciences
  23. 23Advanced Technology Center
  24. 24Gravitational Wave Science Project
  25. 25INFN Sezione di Torino
  26. 26Theoretisch-Physikalisches Institut
  27. 27Dipartimento di Fisica
  28. 28Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc
  29. 29Università di Napoli “Federico II,”
  30. 30Cardiff University
  31. 31Maastricht University
  32. 32Nikhef
  33. 33Università di Roma “La Sapienza
  34. 34Aix Marseille Univ
  35. 35Université Paris-Saclay
  36. 36University of Tokyo
  37. 37Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE)
  38. 38Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI)
  39. 39University of Florida
  40. 40Dipartimento di Scienze Matematiche
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Abstract

GW230814, detected by the LIGO Livingston observatory with a signal-to-noise ratio of 42.4, represents the loudest gravitational-wave signal in the GWTC-4.0 catalog. Its source is consistent with a binary black hole coalescence with component masses m 1 = 33 . 7 − 2.2 + 2.9 M ⊙ and m 2 = 28 . 2 − 3.1 + 2.2 M ⊙ and a small effective inspiral spin χ eff = − 0.0 1 − 0.07 + 0.06 . The high signal-to-noise ratio enabled us to detect an ℓ = ∣ m ∣ = 4 mode in the inspiral–merger–ringdown signal for the first time (with Bayes factor ≈10), as well as enabling a range of tests of consistency between theoretical predictions and the observed waveform. While most of these tests show agreement with theoretical predictions, there are suggestions of minor deviations in the ringdown phase. Simulations that incorporate general relativity and realistic detector noise reproduce similar deviations, suggesting that they do not constitute evidence for a breakdown of general relativity. The observation of GW230814 demonstrates that the unprecedented sensitivity of the detectors enables highly significant detections with a single observatory. However, without corroborating data from a multidetector network, the ability to draw rigorous conclusions about fundamental physics remains severely limited.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{abac2026gw230814,
  title = {{GW230814: Investigation of a Loud Gravitational-wave Signal Observed with a Single Detector}},
  author = {Adrian Abac and I. Abouelfettouh and F. Acernese and K. Ackley and Christian Adamcewicz and S. Adhicary and D. Adhikari and N. Adhikari and R. X. Adhikari and V. K. Adkins and Samsuzzaman Afroz and A. Agapito and D. Agarwal and M. Agathos and Nancy Aggarwal and S. Aggarwal and Odylio D. Aguiar and I.-L. Ahrend and L. Aiello and A. Ain and P. Ajith and Tomotada Akutsu and Simone Albanesi and W. Ali and S. Al-Kershi and C. Alléné and A. Allocca and S. Al-Shammari and P. A. Altin and S. Álvarez-López and W. Amar and O. Amarasinghe and A. Amato and F. Amicucci and Claude Amra and A. Ananyeva and S. B. Anderson and Warren G. Anderson and M. Andia and M. Ando and Marc Andrés-Carcasona and T. Andrić and J. Anglin and Stefano Ansoldi and Javier Mauricio Antelis and S. Antier and M. Aoumi and E. Z. Appavuravther and S. Appert and S. K. Apple and Koji Arai and A. Araya and M. C. Araya and Manuel Arca Sedda and J. S. Areeda and N. Aritomi and F. Armato and Sharon Armstrong and N. Arnaud and M. Arogeti},
  journal = {The Astrophysical Journal Letters},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  doi = {10.3847/2041-8213/ae2ad3},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ae2ad3},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - GW230814: Investigation of a Loud Gravitational-wave Signal Observed with a Single Detector
AU  - Adrian Abac
AU  - I. Abouelfettouh
AU  - F. Acernese
AU  - K. Ackley
AU  - Christian Adamcewicz
AU  - S. Adhicary
AU  - D. Adhikari
AU  - N. Adhikari
AU  - R. X. Adhikari
AU  - V. K. Adkins
AU  - Samsuzzaman Afroz
AU  - A. Agapito
AU  - D. Agarwal
AU  - M. Agathos
AU  - Nancy Aggarwal
AU  - S. Aggarwal
AU  - Odylio D. Aguiar
AU  - I.-L. Ahrend
AU  - L. Aiello
AU  - A. Ain
AU  - P. Ajith
AU  - Tomotada Akutsu
AU  - Simone Albanesi
AU  - W. Ali
AU  - S. Al-Kershi
AU  - C. Alléné
AU  - A. Allocca
AU  - S. Al-Shammari
AU  - P. A. Altin
AU  - S. Álvarez-López
AU  - W. Amar
AU  - O. Amarasinghe
AU  - A. Amato
AU  - F. Amicucci
AU  - Claude Amra
AU  - A. Ananyeva
AU  - S. B. Anderson
AU  - Warren G. Anderson
AU  - M. Andia
AU  - M. Ando
AU  - Marc Andrés-Carcasona
AU  - T. Andrić
AU  - J. Anglin
AU  - Stefano Ansoldi
AU  - Javier Mauricio Antelis
AU  - S. Antier
AU  - M. Aoumi
AU  - E. Z. Appavuravther
AU  - S. Appert
AU  - S. K. Apple
AU  - Koji Arai
AU  - A. Araya
AU  - M. C. Araya
AU  - Manuel Arca Sedda
AU  - J. S. Areeda
AU  - N. Aritomi
AU  - F. Armato
AU  - Sharon Armstrong
AU  - N. Arnaud
AU  - M. Arogeti
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/18
JO  - The Astrophysical Journal Letters
DO  - 10.3847/2041-8213/ae2ad3
UR  - https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ae2ad3
AB  - GW230814, detected by the LIGO Livingston observatory with a signal-to-noise ratio of 42.4, represents the loudest gravitational-wave signal in the GWTC-4.0 catalog. Its source is consistent with a binary black hole coalescence with component masses m 1 = 33 . 7 − 2.2 + 2.9 M ⊙ and m 2 = 28 . 2 − 3.1 + 2.2 M ⊙ and a small effective inspiral spin χ eff = − 0.0 1 − 0.07 + 0.06 . The high signal-to-noise ratio enabled us to detect an ℓ = ∣ m ∣ = 4 mode in the inspiral–merger–ringdown signal for the first time (with Bayes factor ≈10), as well as enabling a range of tests of consistency between theoretical predictions and the observed waveform. While most of these tests show agreement with theoretical predictions, there are suggestions of minor deviations in the ringdown phase. Simulations that incorporate general relativity and realistic detector noise reproduce similar deviations, suggesting that they do not constitute evidence for a breakdown of general relativity. The observation of GW230814 demonstrates that the unprecedented sensitivity of the detectors enables highly significant detections with a single observatory. However, without corroborating data from a multidetector network, the ability to draw rigorous conclusions about fundamental physics remains severely limited.
SN  - 2041-8205
SN  - 2041-8213
ER  -