Gravitational waves from the R-1 high order theory of gravity

Abstract

This paper is a review of a previous research on gravitational waves from the R^-1 high order theory of gravity. It is shown that a massive scalar mode of gravitational waves from the R^-1 theory generates a longitudinal force in addition of the transverse one which is proper of the massless gravitational waves and the response of an arm of an interferometer to this longitudinal effect in the frame of a local observer is computed. Important conseguences from a theoretical point of view could arise from this approach, because it opens to the possibility of using the signals seen from interferometers to understand which is the correct theory of gravitation.