Multi-detector characterization of gravitational-wave burst tensor polarizations with the BayesWave algorithm

General relativity predicts tensor-polarized gravitational waves (GWs) with plus (h₊) and cross (h_×) polarization modes. The unmodeled GW burst analysis pipeline, BayesWave, offers two tensor-polarized signal models: the elliptical polarization model and the relaxed polarization model. Future expansion of the global GW detector network will enable more accurate studies of GW polarizations. In this talk, we present a multi-detector analysis comparing the performance of the elliptical and relaxed models in characterizing elliptical and nonelliptical GW polarizations. We first present a study on simulated precessing and nonprecessing binary black holes (BBHs), comparing the waveform reconstruction accuracy and the Bayesian evidences of the two polarization models. We then present results comparing the two polarization models using publicly available BBH events from the third LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observing run. We will also discus how the relaxed model can measure generic GW polarization content using Stokes parameters, and examine how detector network size affects the recovery of this polarization information.