Gravitational-Wave Constraints on an Effective Field-Theory Extension of General Relativity
arXiv:1912.09917 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.102.044056
Abstract
Gravitational-wave observations of coalescing binary systems allow for novel tests of the strong-field regime of gravity. Using data from the Gravitational Wave Open Science Center (GWOSC) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors, we place the first constraints on an effective field-theory based extension of General Relativity in which only higher-order curvature terms are added to the Einstein-Hilbert action. We construct gravitational-wave templates describing the quasi-circular, adiabatic inspiral phase of binary black holes in this extended theory of gravity. Then, after explaining how to properly take into account the region of validity of the effective field theory when performing tests of General Relativity, we perform Bayesian model selection using the two lowest-mass binary black-hole events reported to date by LIGO and Virgo -- GW151226 and GW170608 -- and constrain this theory with respect to General Relativity. We find that these data disfavors the appearance of new physics on distance scales around km. Finally, we describe a general strategy for improving constraints as more observations will become available with future detectors on the ground and in space.
arXiv comment13 pages, 6 figures. v2: matches published version
References in corpus (39)
- Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger
- The Confrontation between General Relativity and Experiment
- GWTC-1: A Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog of Compact Binary Mergers Observed by LIGO and Virgo during the First and Second Observing Runs
- GW151226: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a 22-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence
- Tests of general relativity with GW150914
- Testing General Relativity with Present and Future Astrophysical Observations
- GW170608: Observation of a 19-solar-mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence
- Frequency-domain gravitational waves from non-precessing black-hole binaries. II. A phenomenological model for the advanced detector era
- Robust parameter estimation for compact binaries with ground-based gravitational-wave observations using the LALInference software library
- Tests of General Relativity with the Binary Black Hole Signals from the LIGO-Virgo Catalog GWTC-1
- An Effective Field Theory of Gravity for Extended Objects
- Theoretical Physics Implications of the Binary Black-Hole Mergers GW150914 and GW151226
- Detection, Measurement and Gravitational Radiation
- Comparison of post-Newtonian templates for compact binary inspiral signals in gravitational-wave detectors
- Tests of General Relativity with GW170817
- An improved effective-one-body model of spinning, nonprecessing binary black holes for the era of gravitational-wave astrophysics with advanced detectors
- Causality Constraints on Corrections to the Graviton Three-Point Coupling
- Fundamental Theoretical Bias in Gravitational Wave Astrophysics and the Parameterized Post-Einsteinian Framework
- Measuring Black Hole Spin using X-ray Reflection Spectroscopy
- Improved filters for gravitational waves from inspiralling compact binaries
- Towards a generic test of the strong field dynamics of general relativity using compact binary coalescence
- Parametrized tests of post-Newtonian theory using Advanced LIGO and Einstein Telescope
- TIGER: A data analysis pipeline for testing the strong-field dynamics of general relativity with gravitational wave signals from coalescing compact binaries
- Black holes and binary mergers in scalar Gauss-Bonnet gravity: scalar field dynamics
- Black holes in an Effective Field Theory extension of GR
- Linking Tests of Gravity On All Scales: from the Strong-Field Regime to Cosmology
- Fundamental physics implications on higher-curvature theories from the binary black hole signals in the LIGO-Virgo Catalog GWTC-1
- Probing the non-linear structure of general relativity with black hole binaries
- An effective formalism for testing extensions to General Relativity with gravitational waves
- Numerical binary black hole mergers in dynamical Chern-Simons: I. Scalar field
- Quantum Gravity Constraints from Unitarity and Analyticity
- Numerical binary black hole collisions in dynamical Chern-Simons gravity
- Higher derivative corrections to Kerr black hole thermodynamics
- Parameter estimation on compact binary coalescences with abruptly terminating gravitational waveforms
- On combining information from multiple gravitational wave sources
- Testing the Bardeen metric with the black hole candidate in Cygnus X-1
- Causality Constrains Higher Curvature Corrections to Gravity
- Constraints on the binary black hole nature of GW151226 and GW170608 from the measurement of spin-induced quadrupole moments
- Evolving Metric Perturbations in dynamical Chern-Simons Gravity
Cited by in corpus (51)
- Tests of General Relativity with Binary Black Holes from the second LIGO-Virgo Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog
- New Horizons for Fundamental Physics with LISA
- Gravitational Effective Field Theory Islands, Low-Spin Dominance, and the Four-Graviton Amplitude
- Improved gravitational-wave constraints on higher-order curvature theories of gravity
- Causality constraints on corrections to Einstein gravity
- Eikonal phase matrix, deflection angle and time delay in effective field theories of gravity
- The Science of the Einstein Telescope
- From amplitudes to gravitational radiation with cubic interactions and tidal effects
- Gravitational ringing of rotating black holes in higher-derivative gravity
- Tests of General Relativity with Gravitational-Wave Observations using a Flexible--Theory-Independent Method
- Ringing of rotating black holes in higher-derivative gravity
- Black-hole ringdown as a probe of higher-curvature gravity theories
- Mining the Geodesic Equation for Scattering Data
- Causality Constraints on Gravitational Effective Field Theories
- Multiparameter tests of general relativity using multiband gravitational-wave observations
- Enhancing modified gravity detection from gravitational-wave observations using the Parametrized ringdown spin expansion coefficients formalism
- Multimessenger Constraints on Radiatively Decaying Axions from GW170817
- Spin-induced dynamical scalarization, de-scalarization and stealthness in scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity during black hole coalescence
- Possible Causes of False General Relativity Violations in Gravitational Wave Observations
- Tests of general relativity using multiband observations of intermediate mass binary black hole mergers
- Modelling self-consistently beyond General Relativity
- Electromagnetic Quasitopological Gravities
- Causality Constraints on Black Holes beyond GR
- Parametrized tests of post-Newtonian theory using principal component analysis
- Quasinormal modes and their excitation beyond general relativity
- Black Hole Multipoles in Higher-Derivative Gravity
- Investigating the relation between gravitational wave tests of general relativity
- Square Peg in a Circular Hole: Choosing the Right Ansatz for Isolated Black Holes in Generic Gravitational Theories
- Gamma-Ray Flashes from Dark Photons in Neutron Star Mergers
- Inspiralling compact objects with generic deformations
- Parametrized Black Hole Quasinormal Ringdown Formalism for Higher Overtones
- Running Love Numbers and the Effective Field Theory of Gravity
- Causality and quasi-normal modes in the GREFT
- Curved accretion disks around rotating black holes without reflection symmetry
- Detectability of gravitational higher order modes in the third-generation era
- Bounds on tidal charges from gravitational-wave ringdown observations
- SCoRe: A New Framework to Study Unmodeled Physics from Gravitational Wave Data
- Template bank to search for exotic gravitational wave signals from astrophysical compact binaries
- Confronting general relativity with principal component analysis: Simulations and results from GWTC-3 events
- Pseudospectrum and time-domain analysis of the EFT corrected black holes
- Exact solution for rotating black holes in parity-violating gravity
- Gravitational collapse in Quadratic Gravity
- Effects of Short-Distance Modifications to General Relativity in Spinning Binary Systems
- Gravitational Waves from Superradiant Cloud Level Transition
- Prospects for estimating parameters from gravitational waves of superspinar binaries
- Computing spectral shifts for Johannsen-Psaltis black holes
- Gravitational Wave Signals from Finite Size Effects in Spinning Binary Inspirals Including Parity Violating Constituents
- Unitarity, Causality, and Solar System Bounds May Significantly Limit the Use of Gravitational Waves to Test General Relativity
- Quasinormal modes and their excitation beyond general relativity. II: isospectrality loss in gravitational waveforms
- Light scalars in neutron star mergers
- Constraining Scalar Charge in Neutron Stars through Gravitational Wave Signals from NSBH Mergers