Enhancing the rationale of convolutional neural networks for glitch classification in gravitational wave detectors: a visual explanation

In the pursuit of detecting gravitational waves, ground-based interferometers (e.g. LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA) face a significant challenge: achieving the extremely high sensitivity required to detect fluctuations at distances significantly smaller than the diameter of an atomic nucleus. Cutting-edge materials and innovative engineering techniques have been employed to enhance the stability and precision of the interferometer apparatus over the years. These efforts are crucial for reducing the noise that masks the subtle gravitational wave signals. Various sources of interference, such as seismic activity, thermal fluctuations, and other environmental factors, contribute to the total noise spectra characteristic of the detector. Therefore, addressing these sources is essential to enhance the interferometer apparatus’s stability and precision. Recent research has emphasised the importance of classifying non-stationary and non-Gaussian glitches, employing sophisticated algorithms and machine learning methods to distinguish genuine gravitational wave signals from instrumental artefacts. The time-frequency-amplitude representation of these transient disturbances exhibits a wide range of new shapes, variability, and features, reflecting the evolution of interferometer technology. In this study, we developed a convolutional neural network model to classify glitches using spectrogram images from the Gravity Spy O1 dataset. We employed score-class activation mapping and the uniform manifold approximation and projection algorithm to visualise and understand the classification decisions made by our model. We assessed the model’s validity and investigated the causes of misclassification from these results.