Data analysis of gravitational-wave signals from spinning neutron stars. IV. An all-sky search

Abstract: We develop a set of data analysis tools for a realistic all-sky search for continuous gravitational-wave signals. The methods that we present apply to data from both the resonant bar detectors that are currently in operation and the laser interferometric detectors that are in the final stages of construction and commissioning. We show that with our techniques we shall be able to perform an all-sky 2-day long coherent search of the narrow-band data from the resonant bar EXPLORER with no loss of signals with the dimensionless amplitude greater than $2.8\times10^{-23}$.