TAPIR Seminar

In person: 370 Cahill. To Join via Zoom: 868 5298 8404

ABSTRACT: In some modified theories of gravity, gravitational waves can contain up to six polarizations, which can propagate at different speeds. These different speeds result in different arrival times in a detector for polarizations generated simultaneously by the same source. Current constraints on the speeds of different polarizations imply that any beyond-GR polarizations must arrive earlier than (or simultaneously with) the two transverse-traceless polarizations present in GR. This talk proposes a new technique to test for the existence of superluminal, non-transverse-traceless polarizations that arrive in the data before a gravitational wave observation of transverse-traceless modes. I will discuss the circumstances in which these beyond-GR polarizations would be detectable and what constraints could be placed in the event of a non-detection.