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Leveraging the features of the GstLAL pipeline, we present the results of a matched filtering search for asymmetric binary black hole systems with heavily mis-aligned spins in LIGO and Virgo data taken during the third observing run. Our target systems show strong imprints of precession and current searches have non-optimal sensitivity in detecting them. After measuring the sensitivity improvement brought by our search over standard spin-aligned searches, we report the detection of 30 gravitational wave events already discovered in the latest Gravitational Wave Transient Catalogues. However, we do not find any additional significant gravitational wave candidates. Our results allow us to place an upper limit of R₉₀\% = 0. 28^+0. 33-₀. ₀₄\;\; Gpc^-3yr^{-1} on the merger rate of a hypothetical subpopulation of asymmetric, heavily precessing signals, not identified by other searches. Since our upper limit is consistent with the latest rate estimates from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration, our findings rule out the existence of a yet-to-be-discovered population of precessing binaries.
Schmidt et al. (2024) studied this question.