Direct multi-model dark-matter search with gravitational-wave interferometers using data from the first part of the fourth LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observing run
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, the KAGRA Collaboration
et al.
Gravitational-wave detectors can probe the existence of dark matter with exquisite sensitivity. Here, we perform a search for three kinds of dark matter -- dilatons (spin-0), dark photons (spin-1) and tensor bosons (spin-2) -- using three independent methods on the first part of the most recent data from the fourth observing run of LIGO--Virgo--KAGRA. Each form of dark matter could have interacted with different standard-model particles in the instruments, causing unique differential strains on the interferometers. While we do not find any evidence for a signal, we place the most stringent upper limits to-date on each of these models. For scalars with masses between $[4\times 10^{-14},1.5\times 10^{-13}]$ eV that couple to photons or electrons, our constraints improve upon those from the third observing run by one order of magnitude, with the tightest limit of $\sim 10^{-20}\,\text{GeV}^{-1}$ at a mass of $\sim2\times 10^{-13}\text{ eV}$. For vectors with masses between $[7\times 10^{-13},8.47\times 10^{-12}]$ eV that couple to baryons, our constraints supersede those from MICROSCOPE and Eöt-Wash by one to two orders of magnitude, reaching a minimum of $\sim 5\times 10^{-24}$ at a mass of $\sim 10^{-12}$ eV. For tensors with masses of $[4\times 10^{-14},8.47\times 10^{-12}]$ eV (the full mass range analyzed) that couple via a Yukawa interaction, our constraints surpass those from fifth-force experiments by four to five orders of magnitude, achieving a limit as low as $\sim 8\times 10^{-9}$ at $\sim2\times 10^{-13}$ eV. Our results show that gravitational-wave interferometers have become frontiers for new physics and laboratories for direct multi-model dark-matter detection.
Cosmological and High Energy Physics implications from gravitational-wave background searches in LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA's O1-O4a runs
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, the KAGRA Collaboration
et al.
We search for gravitational-wave background signals produced by various early Universe processes in the Advanced LIGO O4a dataset, combined with the data from the earlier O1, O2, and O3 (LIGO-Virgo) runs. The absence of detectable signals enables powerful constraints on fundamental physics. We derive gravitational-wave background energy density upper limits from the O1-O4a data to constrain parameters associated with various possible processes in the early Universe: first-order phase transitions, cosmic strings, domain walls, stiff equation of state, axion inflation, second-order scalar perturbations, primordial black hole binaries, and parity violation. In our analyses, the presence of an astrophysical background produced by compact (black hole and neutron star) binary coalescences throughout the Universe is also considered. We address the implications for various cosmological and high energy physics models based on the obtained parameter constraints. We conclude that LIGO-Virgo data already yield significant constraints on numerous early Universe scenarios.
Directional Search for Persistent Gravitational Waves: Results from the First Part of LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA's Fourth Observing Run
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, the KAGRA Collaboration
et al.
The angular distribution of gravitational-wave power from persistent sources may exhibit anisotropies arising from the large-scale structure of the Universe. This motivates directional searches for astrophysical and cosmological gravitational-wave backgrounds, as well as continuous-wave emitters. We present results of such a search using data from the first observing run through the first portion of the fourth observing run of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaborations. We apply gravitational-wave radiometer techniques to generate skymaps and search for both narrowband and broadband persistent gravitational-wave sources. Additionally, we use spherical harmonic decomposition to probe spatially extended sources. No evidence of persistent gravitational-wave signals is found, and we set the most stringent constraints to date on such emissions. For narrowband point sources, our sensitivity estimate to effective strain amplitude lies in the range $(0.03 - 8.4) \times 10^{-24}$ across all sky and frequency range $(20 - 160)$ Hz. For targeted sources -- Scorpius X-1, SN 1987A, the Galactic Center, Terzan 5, and NGC 6397 -- we constrain the strain amplitude with best limits ranging from $\sim 1.1 \times 10^{-25}$ to $6.5 \times 10^{-24}$. For persistent broadband sources, we constrain the gravitational-wave flux $F_{α, \hat{n}}^{95\%, \mathrm{UL}}(25\, \mathrm{Hz}) < (0.008 - 5.5) \times 10^{-8}\, \mathrm{erg\, cm^{-2}\, s^{-1}\, Hz^{-1}}$, depending on the sky direction $\hat{n}$ and spectral index $α=0,\,2/3,\,3$. Finally, for extended sources, we place upper limits on the strain angular power spectrum $C_\ell^{1/2} < (0.63 - 17) \times 10^{-10} \,\mathrm{sr}^{-1}$.
GWTC-4.0: Searches for Gravitational-Wave Lensing Signatures
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, the KAGRA Collaboration
et al.
Gravitational waves can be gravitationally lensed by massive objects along their path. Depending on the lens mass and the lens--source geometry, this can lead to the observation of a single distorted signal or multiple repeated events with the same frequency evolution. We present the results for gravitational-wave lensing searches on the data from the first part of the fourth LIGO--Virgo--KAGRA observing run (O4a). We search for strongly lensed events in the newly acquired data by (1) searching for an overall phase shift present in an image formed at a saddle point of the lens potential, (2) looking for pairs of detected candidates with consistent frequency evolution, and (3) identifying sub-threshold counterpart candidates to the detected signals. Beyond strong lensing, we also look for lensing-induced distortions in all detected signals using an isolated point-mass model. We do not find evidence for strongly lensed gravitational-wave signals and use this result to constrain the rate of detectable strongly lensed events and the merger rate density of binary black holes at high redshift. In the search for single distorted lensed signals, we find one outlier: GW231123_135430, for which we report more detailed investigations. While this event is interesting, the associated waveform uncertainties make its interpretation complicated, and future observations of the populations of binary black holes and of gravitational lenses will help determine the probability that this event could be lensed.
Intertextual Parallel Detection in Biblical Hebrew: A Transformer-Based Benchmark
David M. Smiley
Identifying parallel passages in biblical Hebrew (BH) is central to biblical scholarship for understanding intertextual relationships. Traditional methods rely on manual comparison, a labor-intensive process prone to human error. This study evaluates the potential of pre-trained transformer-based language models, including E5, AlephBERT, MPNet, and LaBSE, for detecting textual parallels in the Hebrew Bible. Focusing on known parallels between Samuel/Kings and Chronicles, I assessed each model's capability to generate word embeddings distinguishing parallel from non-parallel passages. Using cosine similarity and Wasserstein Distance measures, I found that E5 and AlephBERT show promise; E5 excels in parallel detection, while AlephBERT demonstrates stronger non-parallel differentiation. These findings indicate that pre-trained models can enhance the efficiency and accuracy of detecting intertextual parallels in ancient texts, suggesting broader applications for ancient language studies.
GW231123: a Binary Black Hole Merger with Total Mass 190-265 $M_{\odot}$
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, the KAGRA Collaboration
et al.
On 2023 November 23 the two LIGO observatories both detected GW231123, a gravitational-wave signal consistent with the merger of two black holes with masses $137^{+23}_{-18}\, M_\odot$ and $101^{+22}_{-50}\, M_\odot$ (90\% credible intervals), at luminosity distance 0.7-4.1 Gpc and redshift of $0.40^{+0.27}_{-0.25}$, and a network signal-to-noise ratio of $\sim$20.7. Both black holes exhibit high spins, $0.9^{+0.10}_{-0.19}$ and $0.80^{+0.20}_{-0.52}$ respectively. A massive black hole remnant is supported by an independent ringdown analysis. Some properties of GW231123 are subject to large systematic uncertainties, as indicated by differences in inferred parameters between signal models. The primary black hole lies within or above the theorized mass gap where black holes between 60-130 $M_\odot$ should be rare due to pair instability mechanisms, while the secondary spans the gap. The observation of GW231123 therefore suggests the formation of black holes from channels beyond standard stellar collapse, and that intermediate-mass black holes of mass $\sim$200 $M_\odot$ form through gravitational-wave driven mergers.
Open Data from LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA through the First Part of the Fourth Observing Run
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, the KAGRA Collaboration
et al.
LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA form a network of gravitational-wave observatories. Data and analysis results from this network are made publicly available through the Gravitational Wave Open Science Center. This paper describes open data from this network, including the addition of data from the first part of the fourth observing run (O4a) and selected periods from the preceding engineering run, collected from May 2023 to January 2024. The public data set includes calibrated strain time series for each instrument, data from additional channels used for noise subtraction and detector characterization, and analysis data products from version 4.0 of the Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog.
GWTC-4.0: Methods for Identifying and Characterizing Gravitational-wave Transients
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, the KAGRA Collaboration
et al.
The Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog (GWTC) is a collection of candidate gravitational-wave transient signals identified and characterized by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration. Producing the contents of the GWTC from detector data requires complex analysis methods. These comprise techniques to model the signal; identify the transients in the data; evaluate the quality of the data and mitigate possible instrumental issues; infer the parameters of each transient; compare the data with the waveform models for compact binary coalescences; and handle the large amount of results associated with all these different analyses. In this paper, we describe the methods employed to produce the catalog's fourth release, GWTC-4.0, focusing on the analysis of the first part of the fourth observing run of Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo and KAGRA.
Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, the KAGRA Collaboration
et al.
Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for $U(1)_{B-L}$ gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the $U(1)_{B-L}$ gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM.
Die Bibel als Quelle der Ermächtigung von Frauen im 19. Jahrhundert. Ein Überblick
Marie-Theres Ploner
Der Artikel nimmt die Bibelrezeption einiger Frauen in den Blick, die sich im 19. Jahrhundert für die Rechte der Frauen in der Gesellschaft, aber auch in der Kirche einsetzten. Der weiblichen Bibelrezeption wird in der Exegesegeschichte erst in jüngerer Zeit vermehrt Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt. Dabei erstaunt, wie Frauen – meist als Autodidaktinnen – die Bibel als Impulsgeberin ihrer Ermächtigung lasen und interpretierten, vielen Widerständen zum Trotz.
Israel in the Christian Bible
John Goldingay
Israel is a prominent topic in the Jewish and Christian scriptures, though it was not as prominent in Christian theological reflection until the aftermath of the Holocaust. As is the case with any theme in theology, insight on it benefits from considering it in the various historical and social contexts in which it has been expounded. But Israel is a historical reality in a distinctive sense. Within Israel’s story, as the scriptures tell it, Israel has been a wandering clan, a theocratic nation, an institutional state, a dispersed remnant, an imperial colony, and a religious community (Goldingay 1987). In subsequent millennia it has been a recognized religion, a persecuted minority, a martyred victim, and a secular state. Israel is a historical entity (more than one), but also a literary entity and a theological entity (Davies 2007). To complicate theological reflection, the question of Israel’s actual history, behind the story that the scriptures tell, is widely controverted. This article will focus on the implications of the story rather than taking positions on the history, though making use of insights that emerge from historical study.
While there have been many Israels, some theological issues are common to all, arising through the scriptures and outside them. Consequently, while the various ways that Israel can be described indicate how insights emerge from considering Israel’s history stage by stage, further theological insight emerges through standing back from the sequential story and asking what emerges from the story as a whole. This article will focus on that broader level of theological reflection, dealing with the issues as a set of recurring questions, and paying most attention to the implications of the way the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and the New Testament speak of Israel. Although the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings stand alone as the Jewish scriptures and one can ask about the significance of Israel in their context, the New Testament sees itself as picking up from them. There are significant parallels between the New and Old Testaments’ frameworks of thinking about Israel, as well as developments in the New Testament in light of Jesus’ coming. The diversity between the Testaments is not so different from the diversity within the Jewish scriptures, and this article will therefore interweave discussion of Israel in the two Testaments.
Search for subsolar-mass black hole binaries in the second part of Advanced LIGO's and Advanced Virgo's third observing run
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, the KAGRA Collaboration
et al.
We describe a search for gravitational waves from compact binaries with at least one component with mass 0.2 $M_\odot$ -- $1.0 M_\odot$ and mass ratio $q \geq 0.1$ in Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo data collected between 1 November 2019, 15:00 UTC and 27 March 2020, 17:00 UTC. No signals were detected. The most significant candidate has a false alarm rate of 0.2 $\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. We estimate the sensitivity of our search over the entirety of Advanced LIGO's and Advanced Virgo's third observing run, and present the most stringent limits to date on the merger rate of binary black holes with at least one subsolar-mass component. We use the upper limits to constrain two fiducial scenarios that could produce subsolar-mass black holes: primordial black holes (PBH) and a model of dissipative dark matter. The PBH model uses recent prescriptions for the merger rate of PBH binaries that include a rate suppression factor to effectively account for PBH early binary disruptions. If the PBHs are monochromatically distributed, we can exclude a dark matter fraction in PBHs $f_\mathrm{PBH} \gtrsim 0.6$ (at 90% confidence) in the probed subsolar-mass range. However, if we allow for broad PBH mass distributions we are unable to rule out $f_\mathrm{PBH} = 1$. For the dissipative model, where the dark matter has chemistry that allows a small fraction to cool and collapse into black holes, we find an upper bound $f_{\mathrm{DBH}} < 10^{-5}$ on the fraction of atomic dark matter collapsed into black holes.
en
astro-ph.HE, astro-ph.CO
Search for continuous gravitational wave emission from the Milky Way center in O3 LIGO--Virgo data
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, the KAGRA Collaboration
et al.
We present a directed search for continuous gravitational wave (CW) signals emitted by spinning neutron stars located in the inner parsecs of the Galactic Center (GC). Compelling evidence for the presence of a numerous population of neutron stars has been reported in the literature, turning this region into a very interesting place to look for CWs. In this search, data from the full O3 LIGO--Virgo run in the detector frequency band $[10,2000]\rm~Hz$ have been used. No significant detection was found and 95$\%$ confidence level upper limits on the signal strain amplitude were computed, over the full search band, with the deepest limit of about $7.6\times 10^{-26}$ at $\simeq 142\rm~Hz$. These results are significantly more constraining than those reported in previous searches. We use these limits to put constraints on the fiducial neutron star ellipticity and r-mode amplitude. These limits can be also translated into constraints in the black hole mass -- boson mass plane for a hypothetical population of boson clouds around spinning black holes located in the GC.
About angels
Zamfira Bîrzu
This work reveals the definition of «angel», a generic classification of angel hierarchies, their main characteristics, a short history about them according to Bible stories and also a history of their representations in iconography. There are also problematised opposite moral aspects, such as: good and bad, spirituality and sin, immortality and ephemerality, sacred and profane, heaven and earth. This theme is analysed from a multiple perspective, such as from a religious, but also from a philosophical and artistic point of view. In the last pages of the article there are 2 paintings entitled «Seraphim» and «Angel» which are visual representations of these heavenly creatures.
Arts in general, Medieval history
Searches for continuous gravitational waves from young supernova remnants in the early third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Virgo
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, the KAGRA Collaboration
et al.
We present results of three wide-band directed searches for continuous gravitational waves from 15 young supernova remnants in the first half of the third Advanced LIGO and Virgo observing run. We use three search pipelines with distinct signal models and methods of identifying noise artifacts. Without ephemerides of these sources, the searches are conducted over a frequency band spanning from 10~Hz to 2~kHz. We find no evidence of continuous gravitational radiation from these sources. We set upper limits on the intrinsic signal strain at 95\% confidence level in sample sub-bands, estimate the sensitivity in the full band, and derive the corresponding constraints on the fiducial neutron star ellipticity and $r$-mode amplitude. The best 95\% confidence constraints placed on the signal strain are $7.7\times 10^{-26}$ and $7.8\times 10^{-26}$ near 200~Hz for the supernova remnants G39.2--0.3 and G65.7+1.2, respectively. The most stringent constraints on the ellipticity and $r$-mode amplitude reach $\lesssim 10^{-7}$ and $ \lesssim 10^{-5}$, respectively, at frequencies above $\sim 400$~Hz for the closest supernova remnant G266.2--1.2/Vela Jr.
Constraints on the cosmic expansion history from GWTC-3
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, the KAGRA Collaboration
et al.
We use 47 gravitational-wave sources from the Third LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog (GWTC-3) to estimate the Hubble parameter $H(z)$, including its current value, the Hubble constant $H_0$. Each gravitational-wave (GW) signal provides the luminosity distance to the source and we estimate the corresponding redshift using two methods: the redshifted masses and a galaxy catalog. Using the binary black hole (BBH) redshifted masses, we simultaneously infer the source mass distribution and $H(z)$. The source mass distribution displays a peak around $34\, {\rm M_\odot}$, followed by a drop-off. Assuming this mass scale does not evolve with redshift results in a $H(z)$ measurement, yielding $H_0=68^{+12}_{-7} {\rm km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}$ ($68\%$ credible interval) when combined with the $H_0$ measurement from GW170817 and its electromagnetic counterpart. This represents an improvement of 17% with respect to the $H_0$ estimate from GWTC-1. The second method associates each GW event with its probable host galaxy in the catalog GLADE+, statistically marginalizing over the redshifts of each event's potential hosts. Assuming a fixed BBH population, we estimate a value of $H_0=68^{+8}_{-6} {\rm km\,s^{-1}\,Mpc^{-1}}$ with the galaxy catalog method, an improvement of 42% with respect to our GWTC-1 result and 20% with respect to recent $H_0$ studies using GWTC-2 events. However, we show that this result is strongly impacted by assumptions about the BBH source mass distribution; the only event which is not strongly impacted by such assumptions (and is thus informative about $H_0$) is the well-localized event GW190814.
Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον (Mt 6:11; Lk 11:3): The Lord’s Prayer and an African predicament – the Ewe-Ghanaian context in focus
Daniel Sakitey, Ernest van Eck
This article seeks to reconstruct the phrase τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον (Mt 6:11; Lk 11:3) in the light of an African predicament with the Ewe-Ghanaian context in focus. The article posits that the various interpretations of the phrase throughout the epochs of Christianity have arisen as a result of the ambiguity associated with ἐπιούσιος and the quest to make the Lord’s Prayer in general relevant to the life situation of the recipient communities. Although the Lord’s Prayer is still regarded as a prayer par excellence in the Ewe-Ghanaian Christian community, its central theme in popular Ewe-Ghanaian spirituality has been demonological instead of eschatological. The demonological interpretation is premised on the primal Ewe belief that successful spiritual warfare against the evil forces believed to be militating against one’s destiny in life can restore one’s fortunes and lead to the blessing of material prosperity. Thus, the phrase τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον (Mt 6:11; Lk 11:3) in popular Ewe-Ghanaian Christian spirituality is a call on God to ‘grant us the blessing of material prosperity, good health and longevity’. The demonological approach towards material prosperity, however, is discontinuous with the evangelisation approach, which was introduced into Ewe-Ghanaian spirituality through missionary activities in the mid-19th century. The missionaries identified the cardinal Ewe-Ghanaian predicament – poverty of the mind and spirit – and addressed them holistically through the message of the Gospel and the establishment of schools, hospitals, and agriculture to guarantee food security. This holistic approach to alleviating the poverty of the spirit and mind laid the foundation for the socio-economic development of their Ewe-Ghanaian Christian converts and the communities in which they practise their faith.
Contribution: This article forms part of the researcher’s contribution to the academic knowledge on the Lord’s Prayer and inspires the use of Mother Tongue Biblical hermeneutics in the development of theological materials for the Ewe-Ghanaian Christian communities in Ghana, Togo, and Benin.
The Bible, Practical Theology
O ALTRUÍSMO COMO ESSÊNCIA DE UMA ESPIRITUALIDADE NO PENSAMENTO DE ERICH FROMM
Denis Cotta
Este artigo visa apresentar a noção de altruísmo como fundamento de uma espiritualidade segundo o pensamento do filósofo e psicanalista Erich Fromm. Segundo o psicanalista, o indivíduo pode experimentar a vida por duas formas básicas de existência: o modo Ter (egocentrismo) e o modo Ser (altruísmo). Como recurso metodológico, este estudo se utilizará de uma análise teórico-bibliográfica das obras: “Psicanálise da Sociedade Contemporânea”, “Ter ou Ser?” e “Do ter ao ser”, todas de autoria de Erich Fromm. Deste modo, o presente manuscrito pretende mostrar que uma existência pautada pelo modo Ser pode se constituir como a base para a vivência de uma espiritualidade altruísta.
Christianity, Doctrinal Theology
Review: C. Mitch, E. Sri, Ewangelia według św. Mateusza. Katolicki Komentarz do Pisma Świętego (orig. The Gospel According to St Matthew: Catholic Commentary to the Holy Scriptures), trans. E. Litak, W drodze, Poznań 2019, pp. 428
Mariusz Rosik
The Bible, Doctrinal Theology
El ateísmo de Roger Garaudy
Ricardo González
La constatación de Dios y del hombre como valores absolutos, después de la explicación de lo que son los valores en sí mismos y en su relación objetiva con el hombre, nos conducirá a la afirmación de una de las más radicales expresiones de la crisis religiosa vivida por el hombre contemporáneo, según la cual el planteamiento del problema de Dios no tiene sentido. Esta expresión se va definiendo en pensadores como F. Nietzsche, K. Marx, S. Freud, J. P. Sartre y también entre los Neomarxistas como R. Garaudy, quienes de una manera especial destacan el valor absoluto del hombre, excluyendo cualquier valoración de Dios, en nombre de la cultura, de la ciencia económica, de la psicología, de la sociología. (…)
The Bible, Practical Theology