[论文解读] Tests of General Relativity with GWTC-3

The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration+1683 more|University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham)|Dec 13, 2021

Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research被引用 168

一句话总结

本文利用 GWTC-3 引力波事件目录对广义相对论进行测试，在多种分析中评估与 GR 预测的一致性。

ABSTRACT

The ever-increasing number of detections of gravitational waves (GWs) from compact binaries by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors allows us to perform ever-more sensitive tests of general relativity (GR) in the dynamical and strong-field regime of gravity. We perform a suite of tests of GR using the compact binary signals observed during the second half of the third observing run of those detectors. We restrict our analysis to the 15 confident signals that have false alarm rates $\leq 10^{-3}\, { m yr}^{-1}$. In addition to signals consistent with binary black hole (BH) mergers, the new events include GW200115_042309, a signal consistent with a neutron star--BH merger. We find the residual power, after subtracting the best fit waveform from the data for each event, to be consistent with the detector noise. Additionally, we find all the post-Newtonian deformation coefficients to be consistent with the predictions from GR, with an improvement by a factor of ~2 in the -1PN parameter. We also find that the spin-induced quadrupole moments of the binary BH constituents are consistent with those of Kerr BHs in GR. We find no evidence for dispersion of GWs, non-GR modes of polarization, or post-merger echoes in the events that were analyzed. We update the bound on the mass of the graviton, at 90% credibility, to $m_g \leq 2.42 imes 10^{-23} \mathrm{eV}/c^2$. The final mass and final spin as inferred from the pre-merger and post-merger parts of the waveform are consistent with each other. The studies of the properties of the remnant BHs, including deviations of the quasi-normal mode frequencies and damping times, show consistency with the predictions of GR. In addition to considering signals individually, we also combine results from the catalog of GW signals to calculate more precise population constraints. We find no evidence in support of physics beyond GR.

研究动机与目标

• 使用 GWTC-3 事件来激励并评估强场区域中广义相对论的有效性。
• 结合多种 GR 一致性测试以分析与 GR 预测的偏离。
• 量化对替代理论或 GR 的参数化偏离的约束。
• 评估结果对波形模型和数据质量在整个 GWTC-3 目录中的鲁棒性。

提出的方法

• 对 GWTC-3 事件应用 GR 一致性测试。
• 使用参数化偏差和后验分析来约束可能的 GR 违背。
• 使用不同波形模型和数据条件进行交叉检验。
• 汇总结果以给出对 GR 偏离的全局约束。

实验结果

研究问题

• RQ1 Do GWTC-3 events show consistency with General Relativity across multiple waveform analyses and tests?
• RQ2 What are the constraints on deviations from GR allowed by the GWTC-3 data?
• RQ3 How robust are GR tests to waveform systematics and modeling choices within GWTC-3?
• RQ4 Can the GWTC-3 data reveal any statistically significant tension with GR predictions?

主要发现

• GR-consistency is reported across the GWTC-3 dataset within the tested deviation frameworks.
• Constraints on parametrized deviations from GR are placed using the GWTC-3 events.
• Results are checked for robustness against waveform models and data quality selections.
• No statistically significant violations of GR are claimed within the analyzed framework and data.