Graviton Mass Research Articles

Bounds on the charge of the graviton using gravitational wave observations

If the graviton possesses a non-zero charge qg , gravitational waves (GW) originating from astrophysical sources would experience an additional time delay due to intergalactic magnetic fields. This would result in a modification of the phase evolution of the observed GW signal similar to the effect induced by a massive graviton. As a result, we can reinterpret the most recent upper limits on the graviton's mass as constraints on the joint mass-charge parameter space, finding |qg |/e < 3 × 10-34 where e represents the charge of an electron. Additionally, we illustrate that a charged graviton would introduce a constant phase difference in the gravitational waves detected by two spatially separated GW detectors due to the Aharonov-Bohm effect. Using the non-observation of such a phase difference for the GW event GW190814, we establish a mass-independent constraint |qg |/e < 2 × 10-26. To the best of our knowledge, our results constitute the first-ever bounds on the charge of the graviton. We also discuss various caveats involved in our measurements and prospects for strengthening these bounds with future GW observations.

Beyond the Hellings–Downs curve: Non-Einsteinian gravitational waves in pulsar timing array correlations

Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) have revealed galaxy-size gravitational waves (GWs) in the form of a stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB), correlating the radio pulses emitted by millisecond pulsars. This discovery naturally leads to the question of the origin and the nature of the SGWB; the latter is synonymous to testing how quadrupolar the inter-pulsar spatial correlation is. In this paper, we investigate the nature of the SGWB by considering correlations beyond the Hellings–Downs (HD) curve of Einstein’s general relativity. We scrutinize the HD and non-Einsteinian GW correlations with the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves and the Chinese PTA data, and find that both data sets allow a graviton mass of mg ≲ 1.04 × 10−22 eV/c2 and subluminal traveling waves. We discuss gravitational physics scenarios beyond general relativity that could host non-Einsteinian GW correlations in the SGWB and highlight the importance of the cosmic variance inherited from stochastic variations across realizations in interpreting PTA observations.

Probing massive gravitons in f(R) with lensed gravitational waves

We investigate the novel features of gravitational wave solutions in f(R) gravity under proper gauge considerations in the shifted Ricci scalar background curvature (R1+ϵ). The solution is further explored to study the modified dispersion relations for massive modes at local scales and to derive constraints on ϵ. Our analysis yields new insights as we scrutinize these dispersion effects on the polarization (modified Newman-Penrose content) and lensing properties of gravitational waves. It is discovered that the existing longitudinal scalar mode, and transverse breathing scalar mode are both independent of the mass parameter for ϵ<<1. Further, by analysing the lensing amplification factor for the point mass lens model, we show that lensing of gravitational wave is highly sensitive to these dispersion effects in the milli-Hertz frequency (wave optics regime). It is expected that ultra-light modes, having mass about O(10−15) eV for ϵ<<1(≈10−7) lensed by (103≤MLens≤106)M⊙ compact objects are likely to be detected by the advanced gravitational wave space-borne detectors, particularly within LISA's (The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) sensitivity band.

Phase-space path integral approach to the kinetics of black hole phase transition in massive gravity

The dynamics of the state-switching process of black holes in dRGT massive gravity theory is presented using free energy landscape and stochastic Langevin equations. The free energy landscape is constructed using the Gibbons-Hawking path integral method. The black hole phases are characterized by taking its horizon radius as the order parameter. The free energy landscape provides three black hole phases: small, intermediate, and large. The small and large black holes are thermodynamically stable whereas the intermediate one is unstable. The Martin–Siggia–Rose–Janssen–de Dominicis (MSRJD) functional describes the stochastic dynamics of black hole phase transition. The Hamiltonian flow lines are obtained from the MSRJD functional and are used to analyze the stability and the phase transition properties. The dominant kinetic path between different phases is discussed for various configurations of the free energy landscape. We discuss the effect of black hole charge and the graviton mass on the critical behavior of black hole phase transition.

Cosmological study in Myrzakulov [formula omitted] quasi-dilaton massive gravity

This study explores the cosmological implications of the Myrzakulov F(R,T) quasi-dilaton massive gravity theory, a modification of the de Rham-Gabadadze-Tolley (dRGT) massive gravity theory. Our analysis focuses on the self-accelerating solution of the background equations of motion, which are shown to exist in the theory. Notably, we find that the theory features an effective cosmological constant corresponding to the massive graviton, which has important implications for our understanding of the universe’s accelerated expansion. To assess the validity of the Myrzakulov F(R,T) quasi-dilaton massive gravity theory, we employ two datasets: the Union2 Type Ia Supernovae (SNIa) dataset, consisting of 557 observations, and the Pantheon SNIa data, which includes 1048 SNe I-a events gathered from diverse SN I-a samples. Our results demonstrate that the theory is capable of explaining the accelerated expansion of the universe without requiring the presence of dark energy. This finding supports the potential of the Myrzakulov F(R,T) quasi-dilaton massive gravity theory as an alternative explanation for the observed cosmic acceleration. Moreover, we investigate the properties of tensor perturbations within the framework of this theory and derive a novel expression for the dispersion relation of gravitational waves. Our analysis reveals interesting features of the modified dispersion relation in the Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) cosmology, providing new insights into the nature of gravitational waves in the context of the Myrzakulov F(R,T) quasi-dilaton massive gravity theory.

Dilatonic black holes in dRGT massive gravity

Motivated by high interest in Lorentz invariant massive gravity models known as the dRGT massive gravity, we discuss the dRGT massive gravity including the coupling term between dilaton scalar field and massive graviton, and present static and spherically symmetric solutions of dilatonic black holes in four and higher dimensional spacetime. Later, we investigate phase structure of these black hole solutions, and discover that the dilatonic black hole could possess two horizons, extreme and naked singularity black holes for the suitably parameters values. Calculating the conserved and thermodynamic quantities, we check the validity of the first law of thermodynamics.

Moduli dynamics in effective nested warped geometry in four dimensions and some cosmological implications

We analyze the effective four-dimensional dynamics of the extra-dimensional moduli fields in curved braneworlds having nested warping, with particular emphasis on the doubly warped model which is interesting in the light of current collider constraints on the mass of the Kaluza-Klein graviton. The presence of a non-zero brane cosmological constant (Ω) naturally induces an effective moduli potential in the four-dimensional action, which shows distinct features in dS (Ω > 0) and AdS (Ω < 0) branches. For the observationally interesting case of dS 4-branes, a metastable minimum in the potential arises along the first modulus, with no minima along the higher moduli. The underlying nested geometry also leads to interesting separable forms of the non-canonical kinetic terms in the Einstein frame, where the brane curvature directly impacts the kinetic properties of only the first modulus. The non-canonicity of the scenario has been illustrated via an explicit computation of the field space curvature. We subsequently explore the ability of curved multiply warped geometries to drive inflation with an in-built exit mechanism, by considering predominant slow roll along each modular direction on a case-by-case basis. We find slow roll on top of the metastable plateau along the first modular direction to be the most viable scenario, with the higher-dimensional moduli parametrically tuning the height of the potential without significant impact on the inflationary observables. On the other hand, while slow roll along the higher moduli can successfully inflate the background and eventually lead to an exit, consistency with observations seemingly requires unphysical hierarchies among the extra-dimensional radii, thus disfavouring such scenarios.

Planck Length Emerging as the Invariant Quantum Minimum Effective Length Determined by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle in Manifestly Covariant Quantum Gravity Theory

The meaning of the quantum minimum effective length that should distinguish the quantum nature of a gravitational field is investigated in the context of manifestly covariant quantum gravity theory (CQG-theory). In such a framework, the possible occurrence of a non-vanishing minimum length requires one to identify it necessarily with a 4-scalar proper length s.It is shown that the latter must be treated in a statistical way and associated with a lower bound in the error measurement of distance, namely to be identified with a standard deviation. In this reference, the existence of a minimum length is proven based on a canonical form of Heisenberg inequality that is peculiar to CQG-theory in predicting massive quantum gravitons with finite path-length trajectories. As a notable outcome, it is found that, apart from a numerical factor of O1, the invariant minimum length is realized by the Planck length, which, therefore, arises as a constitutive element of quantum gravity phenomenology. This theoretical result permits one to establish the intrinsic minimum-length character of CQG-theory, which emerges consistently with manifest covariance as one of its foundational properties and is rooted both on the mathematical structure of canonical Hamiltonian quantization, as well as on the logic underlying the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.

Graviton mass due to dark energy as a superconducting medium-theoretical and phenomenological aspects

It is well known that the cosmological constant term in the Einstein field equations can be interpreted as a stress tensor for dark energy. This stress tensor is formally analogous to an elastic constitutive equation in continuum mechanics. As a result, the cosmological constant leads to a “shear modulus” and “bulk modulus” affecting all gravitational fields in the universe. The form of the constitutive equation is also analogous to the London constitutive equation for a superconductor. Treating dark energy as a type of superconducting medium for gravitational waves leads to a Yukawa-like gravitational potential and a massive graviton within standard General Relativity. We discuss a number of resulting phenomenological aspects such as a screening length scale that can also be used to describe the effects generally attributed to dark matter. In addition, we find a gravitational wave plasma frequency, index of refraction, and impedance. The expansion of the universe is interpreted as a Meissner-like effect as dark energy causes an outward “expulsion” of space-time similar to a superconductor expelling a magnetic field. The fundamental cause of these effects is interpreted as a type of spontaneous symmetry breaking of a scalar field. There is an associated chemical potential, critical temperature, and an Unruh-Hawking effect associated with the formulation.

Simulation Study on Constraining Gravitational Wave Propagation Speed by Gravitational Wave and Gamma-ray Burst Joint Observation on Binary Neutron Star Mergers

Theories of modified gravity suggest that the propagation speed of gravitational waves (GW) v g may deviate from the speed of light c. A constraint can be placed on the difference between c and v g with a simple method that uses the arrival time delay between GW and electromagnetic wave simultaneously emitted from a burst event. We simulated the joint observation of GW and short gamma-ray burst signals from binary neutron star merger events in different observation campaigns, involving advanced LIGO (aLIGO) in design sensitivity and Einstein Telescope (ET) joint-detected with Fermi/GBM. As a result, the relative precision of constraint on v g can reach ∼10−17 (aLIGO) and ∼10−18 (ET), which are one and two orders of magnitude better than that from GW170817, respectively. We continue to obtain the bound of graviton mass m g ≤ 7.1(3.2) × 10−20 eV with aLIGO (ET). Applying the Standard-Model Extension test framework, the constraint on v g allows us to study the Lorentz violation in the nondispersive, nonbirefringent limit of the gravitational sector. We obtain the constraints of the dimensionless isotropic coefficients s¯00(4) at mass dimension d = 4, which are −1×10−15<s¯00(4)<9×10−17 for aLIGO and −4×10−16<s¯00(4)<8×10−18 for ET.

Noncommutative wormhole in de Rham-Gabadadze-Tolley like massive gravity

The wormhole solution in dRGT massive gravity is examined in this paper in the background of non-commutative geometry. In order to derive the wormhole model, along with the zero tidal force, we assume that the matter distribution is given by the Gaussian and Lorentzian distributions. The shape function in both models involves the massive gravity parameters m2c1 and m2c2. But the spacetime loses its asymptotic flatness due to the action of the massive gravity parameter. It is noticed that the asymptotic flatness is affected by the repulsive effect induced in the massive gravitons that push the spacetime geometry very strongly. We observed that each model violates the null energy criteria, indicating the presence of exotic matter which is necessary to sustain the wormholes. The exotic matter is measured using the volume integral quantifier. Moreover, it is discovered that the model is stable under the hydrostatic equilibrium condition by utilizing the TOV equation. Finally, our research encompassed an exploration of the repulsive influence exerted by gravity. Our findings demonstrated that the presence of repulsive gravity results in a negative deflection angle for photons following null geodesics. Remarkably, we consistently observed negative values for the deflection angle across all values of r0 in the two scenarios examined. This consistent negativity unequivocally signifies the manifestation of the repulsive gravity effect.

Modified gravity/entropic gravity correspondence due to graviton mass

Some time ago, it has been suggested that gravitons can acquire mass in the process of spontaneous symmetry breaking of diffeomorphisms through the condensation of scalar fields [Chamseddine and Mukhanov, JHEP, 2010]. Taking this possibility into account, in the present paper, first we show how the graviton mass intricately reshapes the gravitational potential akin to a Yukawa-like potential at large distances. Notably, this long-range force modifies the Newton’s law in large distances and might explain the phenomena of dark matter. The most important finding in the present paper is the derivation of a modified Newtons law of gravity by modifying the Verlinde’s entropic force relation due to the graviton contribution. The graviton contribution to the entropy basically measures the correlation of graviton and matter fields which then reproduces the Bekenstein–Hawking entropy at the horizon. This result shows the dual description of gravity: in the language of quantum information and entropy the gravity can be viewed as an entropic force, however in terms of particles and fields, it can be viewed as a long range force. Further we have recovered the corrected Einstein field equations as well as the ΛCDM where dark matter emerges as an apparent effect.

Apparent dark matter inspired by the Einstein equation of state

The purpose of this article is twofold. First, by means of Padmanabhan's proposal on the emergence nature of gravity, we recover the ΛCDM model and the effect of the dark matter in the context of cosmology. Toward this goal, we use the key idea of Padmanabhan that states cosmic space emerges as the cosmic time progresses and links the emergence of space to the difference between the number of degrees of freedom on the boundary and in the bulk. Interestingly enough, we show that the effect of the cold dark matter in the cosmological setup can be understood by assuming an interaction between the numbers of degrees of freedom in the bulk. In the second part, we follow Jacobson's argument and obtain the modified Einstein field equations with additional dark matter component emerging due to the interaction term between dark energy and baryonic matter related by , where α is a coupling constant. Finally, a correspondence with the Yukawa cosmology is pointed out, and the role of massive gravitons as a possibility in explaining the nature of the dark sector as well as the theoretical origin of the Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) are addressed. We speculate that the interaction coupling α fundamentally measures the entanglement between the gravitons and matter fields and there exists a fundamental limitation in measuring the gravitons wavelength.

Gravitational waves with generalized holonomy corrections

The cosmological tensor perturbation equation with generalized holonomy corrections is derived in the framework of effective loop quantum gravity. This results in a generalized dispersion relation for gravitational waves, encompassing holonomy corrections. Furthermore, we conduct an examination of the constraint algebra concerning vector modes with generalized holonomy corrections. The requirement of anomaly cancellation for vector modes imposes constraints on the possible functional forms of the generalized holonomy corrections. What’s more, we estimate the theoretical value of the effective graviton mass and discuss the potential detectability of this effective mass in future observations.

Global flows of foliated gravity-matter systems

Asymptotic safety is a promising mechanism for obtaining a consistent and predictive quantum theory for gravity. The ADM formalism allows to introduce a (Euclidean) time-direction in this framework. It equips spacetime with a foliation structure by encoding the gravitational degrees of freedom in a lapse function, shift vector, and a metric measuring distances on the spatial slices. We use the Wetterich equation to study the renormalization group flow of the graviton 2-point function extracted from the spatial metric. The flow is driven by the 3- and 4-point vertices generated by the foliated Einstein-Hilbert action supplemented by minimally coupled scalar and vector fields. We derive bounds on the number of matter fields cast by asymptotic safety. Moreover, we show that the phase diagram obtained in the pure gravity case is qualitatively stable within these bounds. An intriguing feature is the presence of an IR-fixed point for the graviton mass which prevents the squared mass taking negative values. This feature persists for any number of matter fields and, in particular, also in situations where there is no suitable interacting fixed point rendering the theory asymptotically safe. Our work complements earlier studies of the subject by taking contributions from the matter fields into account.

Asymptotic tails of massive gravitons in light of pulsar timing array observations

We demonstrate that the late time oscillatory tails of massive gravitons, present in both massive theories of gravity and effectively in extra-dimensional scenarios, could potentially contribute to gravitational waves with very long wavelengths. However, their impact on recent pulsar timing array observations might be relatively small, predominantly consisting of radiation emitted by black holes in our region of the Milky Way.

Thermodynamics of charged black holes in Maxwell-dilaton-massive gravity* *Supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2020YFC2201400). D. C. Zou is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12365009), and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province, China (20232BAB201039)

Considering the nonminimal coupling of the dilaton field to the massive graviton field in Maxwell-dilaton-massive gravity, we obtain a class of analytical solutions of charged black holes, which are neither asymptotically flat nor (A)dS. The calculated thermodynamic quantities, such as mass, temperature, and entropy, verify the validity of the first law of black hole thermodynamics. Moreover, we further investigate the critical behaviors of these black holes in the grand canonical and canonical ensembles and find a novel critical phenomenon never before observed, known as the "reverse" reentrant phase transition with a tricritical point. It implies that the system undergoes a novel "SBH-LBH-SBH" phase transition process and is the reverse of the "LBH-SBH-LBH" process observed in reentrant phase transitions.

Observational bounds on extended minimal theories of massive gravity: new limits on the graviton mass

In this work, we derive for the first time observational constraints on the extended Minimal Theory of Massive Gravity (eMTMG) framework in light of Planck-CMB data, geometrical measurements from Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO), Type Ia supernovae from the recent Pantheon+ samples, and also using the auto and cross-correlations cosmic shear measurements from KIDS-1000 survey. Given the great freedom of dynamics choice for the theory, we consider an observationally motivated subclass in which the background evolution of the Universe goes through a transition from a (positive or negative) value of the effective cosmological constant to another value. From the statistical point of view, we did not find evidence of such a transition, i.e. deviation from the standard ΛCDM behavior, and from the joint analysis using Planck + BAO + Pantheon+ data, we constrain the graviton mass to < 6.6 × 10-34 eV at 95% CL. We use KIDS-1000 survey data to constrain the evolution of the scalar perturbations of the model and its limits for the growth of structure predicted by the eMTMG scenario. In this case, we find small evidence at 95% CL for a non-zero graviton mass. We interpret and discuss these results in light of the current tension on the S 8 parameter. We conclude that, within the subclass considered, the current data are only able to impose upper bounds on the eMTMG dynamics. Given its potentialities beyond the subclass, eMTMG can be classified as a good candidate for modified gravity, serving as a framework in which observational data can effectively constrain (or confirm) the graviton mass and deviations from the standard ΛCDM behavior.

Accessing the gravitational form factors of the nucleon and nuclei through a massive graviton

Accessing the gravitational form factors of the nucleon and nuclei through a massive graviton

Unveiling the graviton mass bounds through the analysis of 2023 pulsar timing array data releases

Unveiling the graviton mass bounds through the analysis of 2023 pulsar timing array data releases