Tests of General Relativity and Alternative theories of gravity using Gravitational Wave observations

Abstract

Gravitational Wave (GW) observations of coalescing compact binaries will be unique probes of strong-field, dynamical aspects of relativistic gravity. We present a short review of various schemes proposed in the literature to test General Relativity (GR) and alternative theories of gravity using inspiral waveforms. Broadly these schemes may be classified into two types: model dependent and model independent. In the model dependent category, GW observations are compared against a specific waveform model representative of a particular theory or a class of theories like Scalar-Tensor theories, Dynamical Chern-Simons theory and Massive graviton theories. Model independent tests are attempts to write down a parametrised gravitational waveform where the free parameters take different values for different theories and (at least some of) which can be constrained by GW observations. We revisit some of the proposed bounds in the case of downscaled LISA configuration (eLISA) and compare them with the original LISA configuration. We also compare the expected bounds on alternative theories of gravity from ground-based and space-based detectors and find that space-based GW detectors can test GR and other theories of gravity with unprecedented accuracies. We then focus on a recent proposal to use singular value decomposition (SVD) of the Fisher information matrix to improve the accuracies with which Post-Newtonian (PN) theory can be tested. We extend those results to the case of space based detector eLISA and discuss its implications.

Invited Review to International Journal of Modern Physics D (based on a talk in ASTROD symposium, Bangalore)

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Cited by in corpus (22)

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• Black Hole Based Tests of General Relativity
• General relativistic simulations of compact binary mergers as engines of short gamma-ray bursts
• Localization accuracy of compact binary coalescences detected by the third-generation gravitational-wave detectors and implication for cosmology
• Constraining nonperturbative strong-field effects in scalar-tensor gravity by combining pulsar timing and laser-interferometer gravitational-wave detectors
• ASTROD-GW: Overview and Progress
• Constraining Sub-Parsec Binary Supermassive Black Holes in Quasars with Multi-Epoch Spectroscopy. III. Candidates from Continued Radial Velocity Tests
• Scientific Potential of DECIGO Pathfinder and Testing GR with Space-Borne Gravitational Wave Interferometers
• Testing Brans-Dicke gravity using the Einstein telescope
• Gravitational wave detection in space
• Testing the multipole structure of compact binaries using gravitational wave observations
• Advanced LIGO's ability to detect apparent violations of the cosmic censorship conjecture and the no-hair theorem through compact binary coalescence detections
• Tests of general relativity using multiband observations of intermediate mass binary black hole mergers
• Parametrized tests of post-Newtonian theory using principal component analysis
• Quasinormal modes as a distinguisher between general relativity and f(R) gravity
• Black hole radiation of massive spin-2 particles in (3+1) dimensions
• Solar System Constraints on Scalar-Tensor Gravity with Positive Coupling Constant upon Cosmological Evolution of the Scalar Field
• Equivalence principle violation at finite temperature in scalar-tensor gravity
• Confronting general relativity with principal component analysis: Simulations and results from GWTC-3 events
• Electromagnetic memory in arbitrary curved space-times
• Gravitational waves from parabolic encounters: A study of linear and nonlinear memory