The problem of reconstructing the sky position of compact binary coalescences detected via gravitational waves is a central one for future observations with the ground-based network of gravitational-wave laser interferometers, such as Advanced LIGO a
nd Advanced Virgo. Different techniques for sky localisation have been independently developed. They can be divided in two broad categories: fully coherent Bayesian techniques, which are high-latency and aimed at in-depth studies of all the parameters of a source, including sky position, and triangulation-based techniques, which exploit the data products from the search stage of the analysis to provide an almost real-time approximation of the posterior probability density function of the sky location of a detection candidate. These techniques have previously been applied to data collected during the last science runs of gravitational-wave detectors operating in the so-called initial configuration. Here, we develop and analyse methods for assessing the self-consistency of parameter estimation methods and carrying out fair comparisons between different algorithms, addressing issues of efficiency and optimality. These methods are general, and can be applied to parameter estimation problems other than sky localisation. We apply these methods to two existing sky localisation techniques representing the two above-mentioned categories, using a set of simulated inspiral-only signals from compact binary systems with total mass $le 20,M_odot$ and non-spinning components. We compare the relative advantages and costs of the two techniques and show that sky location uncertainties are on average a factor $approx 20$ smaller for fully coherent techniques than for the specific variant of the triangulation-based technique used during the last science runs, at the expense of a factor $approx 1000$ longer processing time.
We investigate dynamical coupling timescales of a neutron stars superfluid core, taking into account the interactions of quantized neutron vortices with quantized flux lines of the proton superconductor in addition to the previously considered scatte
ring of the charged components against the spontaneous magnetization of the neutron vortex line. We compare the cases where vortex motion is constrained in different ways by the array of magnetic flux tubes associated with superconducting protons. This includes absolute pinning to and creep across a uniform array of flux lines. The effect of a toroidal arrangement of flux lines is also considered. The inclusion of a uniform array of flux tubes in the neutron star core significantly decreases the timescale of coupling between the neutron and proton fluid constituents in all cases. For the toroidal component, creep response similar to that of the inner crust superfluid is possible.
