GW Detectors Research Articles

Concept study of a storage ring-based gravitational wave observatory: Gravitational wave strain and synchrotron radiation noise

This work for the first time addresses the feasibility of measuring millihertz gravitational waves (mHz GWs) with a storage ring-based detector. While this overall challenge consists of several partial problems, here we focus solely on quantifying design limitations imposed by the kinetic energy and radiated power of circulating ions at relativistic velocities. We propose an experiment based on the measurement of the time-of-flight signal of an ion chain. One of the dominant noise sources inherent to the measurement principle for such a GW detector is the shot noise of the emitted synchrotron radiation. We compute the noise amplitude of arrival time signals obtained by analytical estimates and simulations of ions with different masses and velocities circulating in a storage ring with the circumference of the Large Hadron Collider. Thereby, we show that our experiment design could reduce the noise amplitude due to the synchrotron radiation in the frequency range 10−4–10−2 Hz to one or two orders of magnitude below the expected GW signals from of astrophysical sources, such as supermassive binary black holes or extreme mass-ratio inspirals. Other key requirements for building a working storage ring-based GW detector include the generation and acceleration of heavy ion chains with the required energy resolution, their injection and continued storage, as well as the detection method to be used for the determination of the particle arrival time. However, these are not the focus of the work presented here, in which we instead concentrate on the definition of a working principle in terms of ion type, kinetic energy, and ring design, which will later serve as a starting point when addressing a more complete experimental setup. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Merging hierarchical triple black hole systems with intermediate-mass black holes in population III star clusters

ABSTRACT Theoretical predictions suggest that very massive stars have the potential to form through multiple collisions and eventually evolve into intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) within Population III star clusters embedded in mini dark matter haloes. In this study, we investigate the long-term evolution of Population III star clusters, including models with a primordial binary fraction of $f_{\rm b}=0$ and 1, using the N-body simulation code petar. We comprehensively examine the phenomenon of hierarchical triple black holes in the clusters, specifically focusing on their merging inner binary black holes (BBHs), with post-Newtonian correction, by using the tsunami code. Our findings suggest a high likelihood of the inner BBHs containing IMBHs with masses on the order of $\mathcal {O}(100)\,{\rm M}_{\odot }$, and as a result, their merger rate could be up to $0.1{\rm Gpc}^{-3}{\rm yr}^{-3}$. The orbital eccentricities of some merging inner BBHs oscillate over time periodically, known as the Kozai–Lidov oscillation, due to dynamical perturbations. Detectable merging inner BBHs for mHz GW detectors LISA/TianQin/Taiji concentrate within $z\lt 3$. More distant sources would be detectable for CE/ET/LIGO/KAGRA/DECIGO, which are sensitive from $\mathcal {O}(0.1)$Hz to $\mathcal {O}(100)$ Hz. Furthermore, compared with merging isolated BBHs, merging inner BBHs affected by dynamical perturbations from tertiary BHs tend to have higher eccentricities, with a significant fraction of sources with eccentricities closing to 1 at mHz bands. GW observations would help constrain the formation channels of merging BBHs, whether through isolated evolution or dynamical interaction, by examining eccentricities.

Magnetic field dynamics and noise analysis for space-based GW detector in far-earth orbits: A hybrid modeling approach

TianQin (TQ) mission, the sole proposed gravitational wave detection project in geocentric orbit at an altitude of approximately 105 km, traverses diverse geomagnetic regions. This paper employs a hybrid model to simulate the ambient magnetic field along the TQ orbit, investigating magnetically-induced acceleration noise under varying satellite-sun angles (SSA) and solar activity levels. The highest noise level, approximately 10−16ms−2Hz−1/2, occurs during transregional periods between the magnetosheath (MSH) and magnetotail (MTL). Noise within the MSH region is an order of magnitude lower than the former, with the MTL region exhibiting the lowest levels, although geomagnetic storms can equalize noise in both regions. Statistical analysis indicates that noise in the MTL region correlates with SSA and solar wind dynamic pressure, displaying a spectral characteristic of f−1.03±0.075, while the MSH region shows a Kolmogorov turbulence spectrum near the flank and f−0.5 at the subsolar region.

Constraining the Abundance of Spinning Deformed Galactic Compact Objects with Continuous Gravitational Waves

Galactic spinning compact objects (COs) with nonzero ellipticity are expected to be sources of continuous gravitational waves (CGWs). Certain classes of hypothetical COs, such as neutron stars with quark cores (hybrid stars) and quark stars, are thought to be capable of sustaining large ellipticities from theoretical considerations. Such exotic COs (eCOs) with large ellipticities and spins should produce CGWs detectable by the current LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA GW detector network. Since no detections for CGWs from searches in LIGO-Virgo data have so far been reported, we place constraints on the abundance of highly elliptical, rapidly spinning eCOs in our Galaxy. We formulate a Bayesian framework to place upper limits on the number count N tot of highly deformed Galactic eCOs. We divide our constraints into two classes: an “agnostic” set of upper limits on N tot evaluated on a CGW frequency and ellipticity grid that depend only on the choice of spatial distribution of COs; and a model-dependent set that additionally assumes prior information on the distribution of frequencies. We find that COs with ellipticities ϵ ≳ 10−5 have abundance upper limits at 90% confidence, of Ntot90%≲100 , and those with ϵ ≳ 10−6 have Ntot90%≲104 . We additionally place upper limits on the ellipticity of Galactic COs informed by our choices of spatial distributions, given different abundances N tot.

Gravitational wave as a probe of light feebly interacting dark matter

Light feebly interacting dark matter is widely predicted in a plethora of new physics models. However, due to very feeble couplings with the standard-model particles, its relic density produced via the relativistic thermal freeze-out process easily exceeds the observed value. The entropy dilution in an early matter-dominated era provides an attractive mechanism for solving such an overabundance problem. In this work, we note that this dark matter dilution mechanism will lead to two distinctive kinks in the primordial GW spectrum, whose frequencies strongly correlate with the DM mass. We show that the GW detectors, such as Cosmic Explorer (CE) and Big Bang Observer (BBO), can measure the kinks in the primordial GW spectrum and will offer a new avenue to probe light feebly interacting dark matter. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Birefringence compensation method of test-mass substrates for gravitational wave detectors with arbitrary polarization states.

GW detectors are ultimately limited by thermal noise in their most sensitive region. Cryogenic operation combined with crystalline substrates and coatings is a promising approach to reduce this noise, thereby increasing their sensitivity and detection rate. However, crystalline materials can exhibit birefringent behaviors which will degrade the detector's sensitivity. Here, we demonstrate the use of a pair of identical electropolarization retarders to generate arbitrary polarization states and compensate birefringence of a KAGRA test-mass substrate.

Detecting short-term gravitational waves from post-merger hyper-massive neutron stars with a kilohertz detector

Abstract Gravitational waves emanating from binary neutron star inspirals, alongside electromagnetic transients resulting from the aftermath of the GW170817 merger, have been successfully detected. However, the intricate post-merger dynamics that bridge these two sets of observables remain enigmatic. This includes if, and when, the post-merger remnant star collapses to a black hole, and what are the necessary conditions to power a short gamma-ray burst, and other observed electromagnetic counterparts. Our focus is on the detection of gravitational wave (GW) emissions from hyper-massive neutron stars (NSs) formed through binary neutron star (BNS) mergers. Utilizing several kilohertz GW detectors, we simulate BNS mergers within the detection limits of LIGO-Virgo-KARGA O4. Our objective is to ascertain the fraction of simulated sources that may emit detectable post-merger GW signals. For kilohertz detectors equipped with a new cavity design, we estimate that approximately 1.1%–32% of sources would emit a detectable post-merger GW signal. This fraction is contingent on the mass converted into gravitational wave energy, ranging from 0.01M sun to 0.1M sun. Furthermore, by evaluating other well-regarded proposed kilohertz GW detectors, we anticipate that the fraction can increase to as much as 2.1%–61% under optimal performance conditions.

Ultrahigh frequency primordial gravitational waves beyond the kHz: The case of cosmic strings

We investigate gravitational-wave backgrounds (GWBs) of primordial origin that would manifest only at ultrahigh frequencies, from kilohertz to 100 gigahertz, and leave no signal at LIGO, the Einstein Telescope, the Cosmic Explorer, LISA, or pulsar-timing arrays. We focus on GWBs produced by cosmic strings and make predictions for the GW spectra scanning over high-energy scale (beyond 1010 GeV) particle physics parameters. Signals from local string networks can easily be as large as the big bang nucleosynthesis/cosmic microwave background bounds, with a characteristic strain as high as 10−26 in the 10 kHz band, offering prospects to probe grand unification physics in the 1014–1017 GeV energy range. In comparison, GWB from axionic strings is suppressed (with maximal characteristic strain ∼10−31) due to the early matter era induced by the associated heavy axions. We estimate the needed reach of hypothetical futuristic GW detectors to probe such GWB and, therefore, the corresponding high-energy physics processes. Beyond the information of the symmetry-breaking scale, the high-frequency spectrum encodes the microscopic structure of the strings through the position of the UV cutoffs associated with cusps and kinks, as well as potential information about friction forces on the string. The IR slope, on the other hand, reflects the physics responsible for the decay of the string network. We discuss possible strategies for reconstructing the scalar potential, particularly the scalar self-coupling, from the measurement of the UV cutoff of the GW spectrum. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Comparison and application of different post-Newtonian models for inspiralling stellar-mass binary black holes with space-based GW detectors

Comparison and application of different post-Newtonian models for inspiralling stellar-mass binary black holes with space-based GW detectors

Fully non-Gaussian Scalar-Induced Gravitational Waves

Scalar-Induced Gravitational Waves (SIGWs) represent a particular class of primordial signals which are sourced at second-order in perturbation theory whenever a scalar fluctuation of the metric is present. They form a guaranteed Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background (SGWB) that, depending on the amplification of primordial scalar fluctuations, can be detected by GW detectors. The amplitude and the frequency shape of the scalar-induced SGWB can be influenced by the statistical properties of the scalar density perturbations. In this work we study the intuitive physics behind SIGWs and we analyze the imprints of local non-Gaussianity of the primordial curvature perturbation on the GW spectrum. We consider all the relevant non-Gaussian contributions up to fifth-order in the scalar seeds without any hierarchy, and we derive the related GW energy density ΩGW(f). We perform a Fisher matrix analysis to understand to which accuracy non-Gaussianity can be constrained with the LISA detector, which will be sensitive in the milli-Hertz frequency band. We find that LISA, neglecting the impact of astrophysical foregrounds, will be able to measure the amplitude, the width and the peak of the spectrum with an accuracy up to 𝒪(10-4), while non-Gaussianity can be measured up to 𝒪(10-3). Finally, we discuss the implications of our non-Gaussianity expansion on the fraction of Primordial Black Holes.

A model-independent precision test of general relativity using bright standard sirens from ongoing and upcoming detectors

Abstract Gravitational waves (GWs) provide a new avenue to test Einstein’s General Relativity (GR) using the ongoing and upcoming GW detectors by measuring the redshift evolution of the effective Planck mass proposed by several modified theories of gravity. We propose a model-independent, data-driven approach to measure any deviation from GR in the GW propagation effect by combining multi-messenger observations of GW sources accompanied by EM counterparts, commonly known as bright sirens (Binary Neutron Star (BNS) and Neutron Star Black Hole systems (NSBH)). We show that by combining the GW luminosity distance measurements from bright sirens with the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) measurements derived from galaxy clustering, and the sound horizon measurements from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), we can make a data-driven reconstruction of deviation of the variation of the effective Planck mass (jointly with the Hubble constant) as a function of cosmic redshift. Using this technique, we achieve a precise measurement of GR with redshift (z) with a precision of approximately 7.9 % for BNSs at redshift z=0.075 and 10 % for NSBHs at redshift z=0.225 with 5 years of observation from LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA network of detectors. Employing Cosmic Explorer and Einstein Telescope for just 1 year yields the best precision of about 1.62 % for BNSs and 2 % for NSBHs at redshift z=0.5 on the evolution of the frictional term, and a similar precision up to z=1. This measurement can discover potential deviation from any kind of model that impacts GW propagation with ongoing and upcoming observations.

Non-radial oscillations in newly born compact star considering effects of phase transition

Abstract The massive stars end their lives by supernova explosions leaving central compact objects that may evolve into neutron stars. Initially, after birth, the star remains hot and gradually cools down. We explore the matter and star properties during this initial stage of the compact stars considering the possibility of the appearance of deconfined quark matter in the core of the star. At the initial stage after the supernova explosion, the occurrence of non-radial oscillation in the newly born compact object is highly possible. Non-radial oscillations are an important source of GWs. There is a high chance for GWs from these oscillations, especially the nodeless fundamental (f-) mode to be detected by next-generation GW detectors. We study the evolution in frequencies of non-radial oscillation after birth considering phase transition and predicting the possible signature for different possibilities of theoretical compact star models.

Number count of gravitational waves and supernovae in luminosity distance space for ΛCDM and scalar-tensor theories

The clustering of gravitational waves in luminosity distance space is emerging as a promising probe of the growth of structure. Just like for galaxies, its observation is subject to a number of relativistic corrections that affect the measured signal and need to be accounted for when fitting theoretical models to the data. We derive the full expression for the number count of gravitational waves in luminosity distance space, including all relativistic corrections, in ΛCDM and in scalar-tensor theories with luminal propagation of tensors. We investigate the importance of each relativistic effect and the detectability of the total signal by current and planned GW detectors. We consider also supernovae in luminosity distance space, highlighting the differences with gravitational waves in the case of scalar-tensor theories. We carry out a thorough comparison among the number count of gravitational waves and supernovae in luminosity distance space, and that of galaxies in redshift space. We show how the relativistic corrections contain useful complementary information on the growth of perturbations and on the underlying theory of gravity, highlighting the synergy with other cosmological probes.

Overlap reduction function for pulsar timing arrays in an expanding Universe

Since it was confirmed two decades ago that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating, it would be of theoretical interests to figure out what is the influence from cosmological constant on detection of stochastic gravitational wave background. This paper studies the overlap reduction functions in de-Sitter space-time for a pair of one-way tracking gravitational wave detectors. It is shown to be non-trivial in an expanding Universe, because the propagation of light along line of sight also has effect on the response of GW detectors. It is found that the expansion of the Universe can enhance the value of magnitude of the overlap reduction functions, when the detector pairs are close to each other. For nanohertz gravitational waves, this effect can dominate the values of overlap reduction functions when the galactic pulsar pairs are separated by milliarcsecond.

Enabling cryogenic gravitational wave detectors: growth of sapphire crystals with record low absorption in the near infrared

Sapphire was grown by Czochralski and ultra-low absorption (11 ppm cm−1) was achieved. The Fe2+–Fe3+ and Ti3+–Ti3+ pairs are crucial for the absorption at 1064 nm. The result is promised to grow large sapphire for the next generation of GW detector.

Cosmic string gravitational waves from global U(1)B−L symmetry breaking as a probe of the type I seesaw scale

In type I seesaw models, the right-handed neutrinos are typically super-heavy, consistent with the generation of baryon asymmetry via standard leptogenesis. Primordial gravitational waves of cosmological origin provides a new window to probe such high scale physics, which would otherwise be inaccessible. By considering a global U(1)B−L extension of the type I seesaw model, we explore the connection between the heaviest right-handed neutrino mass and primordial gravitational waves arising from the dynamics of global cosmic string network. As a concrete example, we study a global U(1)B−L extension of the Littlest Seesaw model, and show that the inevitable GW signals, if detectable, probe the parameter space that can accommodate neutrino oscillation data and successful leptogenesis, while respecting theoretical constraints like perturbativity of the theory. Including CMB constraints from polarization and dark radiation leaves a large region of parameter space of the model, including the best fit regions, which can be probed by GW detectors like LISA and ET in the near future. In general, the GW detectors can test high scale type I seesaw models with the heaviest right-handed neutrino mass above 2.5 × 1014 GeV, assuming the perturbativity, and 7 × 1013 GeV assuming that the coupling between the heaviest right-handed neutrino and the U(1)B−L breaking scalar is less than unity.

Primordial gravitational waves in generalized Palatini gravity

Extended Palatini gravity is the metric-affine gravity theory characterized by zero torsion, nonzero metricity and a quadratic of the antisymmetric Ricci curvature. It reduces dynamically to general relativity plus a geometric Proca field. In this work, we study imprints of the geometric Proca field on the gravitational waves. Our results show that the geometric Proca leaves significant signatures in the gravitational wave signal, and gravitational wave energy density could be large enough to be detectable by the next upgrade of the existing GW detectors. Our results, if confirmed observationally, will be an indication that the gravity could be non-Riemannian in nature.

Gravitational waves from SU(N)/SP(N) composite Higgs models

We study possible strong first-order electroweak phase transitions in Composite Higgs models and we quantify the part of parameter space that can be probed with future gravitational wave experiments. We focus on models where the Composite Higgs sector arises from underlying four-dimensional strongly interacting gauge theories with fermions, and where the Standard Model fermion masses are induced via linear mixing terms with composite fermions — the so-called fermion partial compositeness framework. We perform our analysis for the general class of Composite Higgs models arising from N Weyl fermions in a pseudo-real representation of the new strongly interacting gauge group that dynamically triggers the global chiral symmetry breaking pattern SU(N) → Sp(N). The minimal model has N = 4 and for N > 4 the models feature complex scalar dark matter candidates arising as pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone bosons. We find a large number of points in the models parameter space which yield strong first-order electroweak phase transitions and identify the most important operators characterizing the strength of the phase transition. Almost all of these points are testable with future GW detectors such as LISA, Taiji, Tianqin, BBO, DECIGO and Ultimate-DECIGO.

Precessing binary black holes as better dark sirens

ABSTRACT Gravitational waves (GWs) from binary black hole mergers provide unique opportunities for cosmological inference such as standard sirens. However, the accurate determination of the luminosity distance of the event is limited by the correlation between the distance and the angle between the binary’s orbital angular momentum and the observer’s line of sight. In the letter, we investigate the effect of precession on the distance estimation of binary black hole events for the third-generation (3G) GW detectors. We find that the precession can enhance the precision of distance inference by one order of magnitude compared to the scenario where precession is absent. The constraint on the host galaxies can be improved due to the improved distance measurement, therefore the Hubble constant can be measured with higher precision and accuracy. These findings underscore the noteworthy impact of precession on the precision of distance estimation for 3G ground-based GW detectors, which can serve as highly accurate probes of the Universe.

Measuring the Hubble constant using strongly lensed gravitational wave signals

The measurement of the Hubble constant H 0 plays an important role in the study of cosmology. In this work, we propose a new method to constrain the Hubble constant using the strongly lensed gravitational wave (SLGW) signals. Through reparameterization, we find that the lensed waveform is sensitive to the H 0. Assuming the scenario that no electromagnetic counterpart of the GW source can be identified, our method can still give meaningful constraints on the H 0 with the information of the lens redshift. We then apply Fisher information matrix and Markov Chain Monte Carlo to evaluate the potential of this method. For the space-based GW detector, TianQin, the H 0 can be constrained within a relative error of ∼ 1% with a single SLGW event.