Efficient filter for detecting gravitational wave bursts in interferometric detectors - art. no. 042002

Typical sources of gravitational wave bursts are supernovae, for which no a ccurate models exist. This calls for search methods with high efficiency an d robustness to be used in the data analysis of foreseen interferometric de tectors. A set of such filters is designed to detect gravitational wave bur st signals. We first present filters based on the linear fit of whitened da ta to short straight lines in a given time window and combine them in a non linear filter named ALF. We study the performances and efficiencies of thes e filters, with the help of a catalogue of simulated supernova signals. The ALF filter is the best performing and most efficient of all filters. Its p erformance reaches about 80% of the optimal filter performance designed fur the same signals. Such a filter could be implemented as an online trigger (dedicated to detect bursts of unknown wave form) in interferometric detect ors of gravitational waves.