GW230814: investigation of a loud gravitational-wave signal observed with a single detector

GW230814 is a very high–signal-to-noise BBH event observed primarily in the LIGO Livingston detector. The source parameters are consistent with a typical BBH (m₁≈34 M⊙, m₂≈28 M⊙) with near-zero effective spin, and the data enable the first confident inspiral detection of the ℓ=|m|=4 mode. A suite of GR consistency tests largely agrees with expectations; apparent ringdown deviations can be reproduced with GR-based simulations and realistic noise, underscoring the limitations of single-detector observations for robust fundamental-physics claims.

arXiv (gr-qc:2509.07348)