Parameter estimation with gravitational waves
N. Christensen, Renate Meyer
Abstract
Following their first detection, gravitational wave signals from astrophysical binary mergers have been collected by the LIGO-Virgo network of interferometers, inaugurating the era of gravitational wave astronomy. With a new generation of instruments, one major challenge is the development of statistical and computational methods for estimating the physical parameters that characterize the emitting systems and the source populations. This review presents the Bayesian inference techniques used for parameter estimation from gravitational wave observations by ground-based interferometers. The application of such methods to the signals observed by LIGO-Virgo is illustrated with results in fundamental physics, astrophysics, and cosmology.