Abstract. We report on a search for gravitational wave bursts using data from the first science run of the LIGO detectors. We focus on bursts with durations ranging from 4 ms to 100 ms, and with significant power in the LIGO sensitivity band of 150 to 3000 Hz. We bound the rate for such detected bursts at less than 1.6 events per day at 90% confidence level. This result is interpreted in terms of the detection efficiency for ad hoc wave forms (Gaussians and sine-Gaussians) as a function of their root-sum-square strain h_rss; typical sensitivities lie in the range , depending on wave form. We discuss improvements in the search method that will be applied to future science data from LIGO and other gravitational wave detectors.

PACS numbers: 04.80.Nn, 07.05.Kf, 95.30.Sf, 95.85.Sz

Print publication: Issue 5 (7 March 2004)
Received 2 September 2003
Published 9 February 2004