Online calibration and pre-processing of TAMA data

The TAMA300 gravitational wave detector, a pioneer among hundred-plus metre scale interferometric detectors, observed over 1000 h with sufficient sensitivity to monitor sources within our galaxy (Tagoshi et al 2001 Phys. Rev. D 63 062001, Ando et al 2001 Phys. Rev. Lett. 86 3950). This was an important step to the first direct detection of gravitational waves. In such long-term observations, online calibration and pre-processing of data are important for both the detector operation and the gravitational wave signal search. By focusing on the most promising source of neutron star binaries, such online processes were developed and were running during the long-term observation in 2003. As a result, the average sensitivity to inspiralling neutron star binaries can be maintained at 73% of our best sensitivity