Constraining the quantum gravity polymer scale using LIGO data

Abstract

We present the first empirical constraints on the polymer scale describing polymer quantized GWs propagating on a classical background. These constraints are determined from the polymer-induced deviation from the classically predicted propagation speed of GWs. We leverage posterior information on the propagation speed of GWs from two previously reported sources: 1) inter-detector arrival time delays for signals from the LIGO-Virgo Collaboration's first gravitational-wave transient catalog, GWTC1, and 2) from arrival time delays between GW signal GW170817 and its associated gamma-ray burst GRB170817A. For pure-GW constraints, we find relatively uninformative combined constraints of $\nu =0.96\begin{array}{c}+0.15\\ -0.21\end{array}\times 10^{-53}{\mathrm{kg}}^{1/2}$ and $\mu =0.94\begin{array}{c}+0.75\\ -0.20\end{array}\times 10^{-48}{\mathrm{kg}}^{1/2}\cdot \mathrm{s}$ at the $90\%$ credible level for the two polymer quantization schemes, where $\nu$ and $\mu$ refer to polymer parameters associated to the polymer quantization schemes of propagating gravitational degrees of freedom. For constraints from GW170817/GRB170817A, we report much more stringent constraints of ${\nu }_{\mathrm{low}}=2.66\begin{array}{c}+0.60\\ -0.10\end{array}\times 10^{-56}$, ${\nu }_{\mathrm{high}}=2.66\begin{array}{c}+0.45\\ -0.10\end{array}\times 10^{-56}$ and ${\mu }_{\mathrm{low}}=2.84\begin{array}{c}+0.64\\ -0.11\end{array}\times 10^{-52}$, ${\mu }_{\mathrm{high}}=2.76\begin{array}{c}+0.46\\ -0.11\end{array}\times 10^{-52}$ for both representations of polymer quantization and two choices of spin prior indicated by the subscript. Additionally, we explore the effect of varying the lag between emission of the GW and EM signals in the multimessenger case.

Invited contribution to "Focus issue on Quantum Gravity Phenomenology in the Multi-Messenger Era: Challenges and Perspectives" in Classical and Quantum Gravity, 18 pages, 6 figures, Part of the COST Action CA18108: Quantum gravity phenomenology in the multi-messenger approach. V2: added comments on polymer quantization & statistical method used. Minor modification to plot colors. Published version

References in corpus (19)

• GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral
• Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger
• Gravitational Waves and Gamma-rays from a Binary Neutron Star Merger: GW170817 and GRB 170817A
• GWTC-2: Compact Binary Coalescences Observed by LIGO and Virgo During the First Half of the Third Observing Run
• Binary interaction dominates the evolution of massive stars
• Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a), the Optical Counterpart to a Gravitational Wave Source
• Echoes of ECOs: gravitational-wave signatures of exotic compact objects and of quantum corrections at the horizon scale
• New Horizons for Fundamental Physics with LISA
• Forecasting the detection capabilities of third-generation gravitational-wave detectors using $\text{GWFAST}$
• A novel paradigm for short gamma-ray bursts with extended X-ray emission
• Short gamma-ray bursts in the "time-reversal" scenario
• Bounding the speed of gravity with gravitational wave observations
• A new bound on polymer quantization via an opto-mechanical setup
• Measuring the Speed of Gravitational Waves from the First and Second Observing Run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo
• Path integral polymer propagator of relativistic and non-relativistic particles
• Propagation of quantum gravity-modified gravitational waves on a classical FLRW spacetime
• Tunneling in Polymer Quantization and the Quantum Zeno Effect
• Polymer quantum effects on compact stars models
• What do gravitational wave detectors say about polymer quantum effects?

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Post-Newtonian effects in compact binaries with a dark matter spike: A Lagrangian approach