Background Noise Reduction in Gravitational Wave Detectors Through Use of an Amplitude Ratio Filter

Bursts of gravitational waves may be detected by searching for coincidental excitations between multiple, widely-spaced antennas. However, accidental coincidences due to random, local sources of excitation may mask true events due to gravitational waves. In this paper, we demonstrate experimentally that the use of an amplitude ratio filter can reduce the rate of accidental coincidences between two resonant-bar gravitational wave detectors, improving the statistical significance of aero time delay coincidences.