Catalog variance of testing general relativity with gravitational-wave data

Abstract

Combining multiple gravitational-wave observations allows for stringent tests of general relativity, targeting effects that would otherwise be undetectable using single-event analyses. We highlight how the finite size of the observed catalog induces a significant source of variance. If not appropriately accounted for, general relativity can be excluded with arbitrarily large credibility even if it is the underlying theory of gravity. This effect is generic and holds for arbitrarily large catalogs. Moreover, we show that it cannot be suppressed by selecting "golden" observations with large signal-to-noise ratios. We present a mitigation strategy based on bootstrapping (i.e. resampling with repetition) that allows assigning uncertainties to one's credibility on the targeted test. We demonstrate our findings using both toy models and real gravitational-wave data. In particular, we quantify the impact of the catalog variance on the ringdown properties of black holes using the latest LIGO/Virgo catalog.

6 pages, 2 figures; v2: matches published version

References in corpus (9)

• The Confrontation between General Relativity and Experiment
• Use and Abuse of the Fisher Information Matrix in the Assessment of Gravitational-Wave Parameter-Estimation Prospects
• Can environmental effects spoil precision gravitational-wave astrophysics?
• Linking Tests of Gravity On All Scales: from the Strong-Field Regime to Cosmology
• Testing the no-hair theorem with black hole ringdowns using TIGER
• Evolution of Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity using a modified harmonic formulation
• On combining information from multiple gravitational wave sources
• Fortifying gravitational-wave tests of general relativity against astrophysical assumptions
• Posterior predictive checking for gravitational-wave detection with pulsar timing arrays: I. The optimal statistic

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Possible Causes of False General Relativity Violations in Gravitational Wave Observations
• Parametrized spin-precessing inspiral-merger-ringdown waveform model for tests of general relativity
• Multidimensional hierarchical tests of general relativity with gravitational waves
• The curvature dependence of gravitational-wave tests of General Relativity