GWTC-2.1: Gravitational-Wave Parameter Estimates for 54 Compact Binary Events

Posterior samples and metadata for 44 gravitational-wave candidates from the first half of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA third observing run (O3a) and 10 binary-black-hole candidates from GWTC-1. The data release includes cosmologically reweighted and non-reweighted samples, skymaps, and analysis configuration files. The LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration produced this data using inference software like Bilby, Parallel Bilby, and RIFT.

Use Cases

• Estimate source parameters like mass and spin based on posterior samples.
• Analyze luminosity distance distributions using cosmologically reweighted posteriors.
• Localize gravitational-wave events in the sky using the provided .FITS skymap files.
• Study detector calibration and noise characteristics based on the included power spectral densities and calibration envelopes.

Strengths

• Includes data for 54 distinct gravitational-wave candidate events.
• Provides posterior samples from multiple waveform runs, including a 'Mixed' dataset for combined results.
• Contains extensive metadata such as configuration files, noise power spectral densities, and calibration uncertainty envelopes.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

LIGO Scientific Collaboration, Virgo Collaboration, and KAGRA Collaboration.

Collection Method

Parameter estimation performed on observational data from the first half of the third observing run (O3a).

Time Range

Covers the first half of the third observing run (O3a).