Tag Archives: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Probing Dark Energy and Modifications of Gravity with Ground-Based Millimeter-Wavelength Line Intensity Mapping [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.08471


Line intensity mapping (LIM) can provide a powerful means to constrain the theory of gravity and the nature of dark energy at low and high redshifts by mapping the large-scale structure (LSS) over many redshift epochs. In this paper, we investigate the potential of the next generation ground-based millimeter-wavelength LIM surveys in constraining several models beyond $\Lambda$CDM, involving either a dynamic dark energy component or modifications of the theory of gravity. Limiting ourselves to two-point clustering statistics, we consider the measurements of auto-spectra of several CO rotational lines (from J=2-1 to J=6-5) and the [CII] fine structure line in the redshift range of $0.25<z<12$. We consider different models beyond $\Lambda$CDM, each one with different signatures and peculiarities. Among them, we focus on Jordan-Brans-Dicke and axion-driven early dark energy models as examples of well-studied scalar-tensor theories acting at late and early times respectively. Additionally, we consider three phenomenological models based on an effective description of gravity at cosmological scales. We show that LIM surveys deployable within a decade (with $\sim 10^8$ spectrometer hours) have the potential to improve upon the current bounds on all considered models significantly. The level of improvements range from a factor of a few to an order of magnitude.

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A. Dizgah, E. Bellini and G. Keating
Tue, 18 Apr 23
48/80

Comments: 20+3 pages. 15 figures. 3 tables

Measurement of the Cross-Correlation Angular Power Spectrum Between the Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background and Galaxy Over-Density [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.07621


We study the cross-correlation between the stochastic gravitational-wave background (SGWB) generated by binary black hole (BBH) mergers across the universe and the distribution of galaxies across the sky. We use the anisotropic SGWB measurement obtained using data from the third observing run (O3) of Advanced LIGO detectors and galaxy over-density obtained from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectroscopic catalog. We compute, for the first time, the angular power spectrum of their cross-correlation. Instead of integrating the SGWB across frequencies, we analyze the cross-correlation in 10 Hz wide SGWB frequency bands to study the frequency dependence of the cross-correlation angular power spectrum. Finally, we compare the observed cross-correlation to the spectra predicted by astrophysical models. We apply a Bayesian formalism to explore the parameter space of the theoretical models, and we set constraints on a set of (effective) astrophysical parameters describing the galactic process of gravitational wave (GW) emission. Parameterizing with a Gaussian function the astrophysical kernel describing the local process of GW emission at galactic scales, we find the 95\% upper limit on kernel amplitude to be $2.7 \times 10^{-32}$ erg cm$^{-3}$s$^{-1/3}$ when ignoring the shot noise in the GW emission process, and $2.16 \times 10^{-32}$ erg cm$^{-3}$s$^{-1/3}$ when the shot noise is included in the analysis. As the sensitivity of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA network improves, we expect to be able to set more stringent bounds on this kernel function and constrain its parameters.

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K. Z.Yang, J. Suresh, G. Cusin, et. al.
Tue, 18 Apr 23
49/80

Comments: 19 pages, 12 figures

Primordial Black Holes and Loops in Single-Field Inflation [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.07801


Using the $\delta N$ formalism we calculate the one-loop correction to the large-scale power spectrum of the curvature perturbation in the standard scenario where primordial black holes are formed in the early universe thanks to a phase of ultra-slow-roll in single-field inflation. We explicitly show that one-loop corrections are negligible when the transition from the ultra-slow-roll to the slow-roll phase is smooth. We conclude that the PBH formation scenario through a ultra-slow-roll phase is viable.

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H. Firouzjahi and A. Riotto
Tue, 18 Apr 23
50/80

Comments: 11 pages

Search for gravitational-lensing signatures in the full third observing run of the LIGO-Virgo network [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.08393


Gravitational lensing by massive objects along the line of sight to the source causes distortions of gravitational wave-signals; such distortions may reveal information about fundamental physics, cosmology and astrophysics. In this work, we have extended the search for lensing signatures to all binary black hole events from the third observing run of the LIGO–Virgo network. We search for repeated signals from strong lensing by 1) performing targeted searches for subthreshold signals, 2) calculating the degree of overlap amongst the intrinsic parameters and sky location of pairs of signals, 3) comparing the similarities of the spectrograms amongst pairs of signals, and 4) performing dual-signal Bayesian analysis that takes into account selection effects and astrophysical knowledge. We also search for distortions to the gravitational waveform caused by 1) frequency-independent phase shifts in strongly lensed images, and 2) frequency-dependent modulation of the amplitude and phase due to point masses. None of these searches yields significant evidence for lensing. Finally, we use the non-detection of gravitational-wave lensing to constrain the lensing rate based on the latest merger-rate estimates and the fraction of dark matter composed of compact objects.

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L. Collaboration, V. Collaboration, K. Collaboration, et. al.
Tue, 18 Apr 23
54/80

Comments: 28 pages, 11 figures

Probing the solar interior with lensed gravitational waves from known pulsars [SSA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.08220


When gravitational waves (GWs) from a spinning neutron star arrive from behind the Sun, they are subjected to gravitational lensing that imprints a frequency-dependent modulation on the waveform. This modulation traces the projected solar density and gravitational potential along the path as the Sun passes in front of the neutron star. We calculate how accurately the solar density profile can be extracted from the lensed GWs using a Fisher analysis. For this purpose, we selected three promising candidates (the highly spinning pulsars J1022+1001, J1730-2304, and J1745-23) from the pulsar catalog of the Australia Telescope National Facility. The lensing signature can be measured with $3 \sigma$ confidence when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the GW detection reaches $100 \, (f/300 {\rm Hz})^{-1}$ over a one-year observation period (where $f$ is the GW frequency). The solar density profile can be plotted as a function of radius when the SNR improves to $\gtrsim 10^4$.

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R. Takahashi, S. Morisaki and T. Suyama
Tue, 18 Apr 23
56/80

Comments: 12 pages, 12 figures; submitted to ApJ; a numerical code of the amplification factor for solar lensing is available at this http URL

Detection of magnetic galactic binaries in quasi-circular orbit with LISA [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.07294


Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will observe gravitational waves from galactic binaries (GBs) of white dwarfs or neutron stars. Some of these objects are among the most magnetic astrophysical objects in the Universe. Magnetism, by secularly disrupting the orbit, can eventually affect the gravitational waves emission and could then be potentially detected and characterized after several years of observations by LISA. Currently, the data processing pipeline of the LISA Data Challenge (LDC) for GBs does not consider either magnetism or eccentricity. Recently, it was shown [Bourgoin et al. PRD 105, 124042 (2022)] that magnetism induces a shift on the gravitational wave frequencies. Additionally, it was argued that, if the binary’s orbit is eccentric, the presence of magnetism could be detected by LISA. In this work, we explore the consequences of a future data analysis conducted on quasi-circular and magnetic GB systems using the current LDC tools. We first show that a single eccentric GB can be interpreted as several GBs and this can eventually bias population studies deduced from LISA’s future catalog. Then, we confirm that for quasi-circular orbits, the secular magnetic energy of the system can be inferred if the signal-to-noise ratio of the second harmonic is high enough to be detected by traditional quasi-monochromatic source searching algorithms. LISA observations could therefore bring new insights on the nature and origin of magnetic fields in white dwarfs or neutron stars.

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E. Savalle, A. Bourgoin, C. Poncin-Lafitte, et. al.
Tue, 18 Apr 23
60/80

Comments: 18 pages, 6 figures

Anatomy of parameter-estimation biases in overlapping gravitational-wave signals [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.06734


In future gravitational-wave (GW) detections, a large number of overlapping GW signals will appear in the data stream of detectors. When extracting information from one signal, the presence of other signals can cause large parameter estimation biases. Using the Fisher matrix (FM), we develop a bias analysis procedure to investigate how each parameter of other signals affects the inference biases. Taking two-signal overlapping as an example, we show detailedly and quantitatively that the biases essentially originate from the overlapping of the frequency evolution. Furthermore, we find that the behaviors of the correlation coefficients between the parameters of the two signals are similar to the biases. Both of them can be used as characterization of the influence between signals. We also corroborate the bias results of the FM method with full Bayesian analysis. Our results provide powerful guidance for parameter estimation, and the analysis methodology is easy to generalize.

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Z. Wang, D. Liang, J. Zhao, et. al.
Mon, 17 Apr 23
5/51

Comments: 29 pages, 13 figures

Sweeping Horndeski Canvas: New Growth-Rate Parameterization for Modified-Gravity Theories [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.07281


We propose and numerically validate a new fitting formula that is sufficiently accurate to model the growth of structure in Horndeski theories of modified gravity for upcoming Stage IV and V large-scale structure surveys. Based on an analysis of more than 18,000 Horndeski models and adopting the popular parameterization of the growth rate $f(z) = \Omega_{M}(z)^{\gamma}$, we generalize the constant growth index $\gamma$ to a two-parameter redshift-dependent quantity, $\gamma(z)$, that more accurately fits these models. We demonstrate that the functional form $\gamma(z)=\gamma_0+\gamma_1z^2 / (1+z)$ improves the median $\chi^2$ of the fit to viable Horndeski models by a factor of $\sim40$ relative to that of a constant $\gamma$, and is sufficient to obtain unbiased results even for precise measurements expected in Stage IV and V surveys. Finally, we constrain the parameters of the new fitting formula using current cosmological data.

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Y. Wen, N. Nguyen and D. Huterer
Mon, 17 Apr 23
7/51

Comments: 23 pages, 6 figures

Hunting the stochastic gravitational wave background in pulsar timing array cross correlations through theoretical uncertainty [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.07040


Incredible progress on the theoretical uncertainty of the spatial correlations of the stochastic gravitational wave (GW) background were recently made. However, it remains to realize the impact of this theoretical uncertainty on PTA cross correlations analysis. This paper pushes forward in this direction, as a proof–of–principle: showing the potential role that theoretical uncertainty has on unburying the stochastic GW background signal in noisy PTA cross correlation measurements. We consider both a mock data set and the noise–marginalized 12.5 years NANOGrav spatial correlation measurements, and find optimistic conclusions regardless of the physical content of the GW background and the nature of the noise in the data. Very briefly, we show through various cases a modest, but profound result that looking out for a stochastic signal is better when two of its moments are utilized. Or, in terms of GWs, we show that the theoretical uncertainty can play a substantial role in the hunt for the stochastic GW background.

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R. Bernardo and K. Ng
Mon, 17 Apr 23
9/51

Comments: 7 pages + refs, 3 figures, comments welcome

Parity violating scalar-tensor model in teleparallel gravity and its cosmological application [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.07138


The parity violating model based on teleparallel gravity is a competitive scheme for parity violating gravity, which has been preliminary studied in the literature. To further investigate the parity violating model in teleparallel gravity, in this paper, we construct all independent parity-odd terms that are quadratic in torsion tensor and coupled to a scalar field in a way without higher-order derivatives. Using these parity-odd terms, we formulate a general parity violating scalar-tensor model in teleparallel gravity and obtain its equations of motion. To explore potentially viable models within the general model, we investigate the cosmological application of a submodel of the general model in which terms above the second power of torsion are eliminated. We focus on analyzing cosmological perturbations and identify the conditions that preserve the parity violating signal of gravitational waves at linear order while avoiding the ghost instability.

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H. Rao and D. Zhao
Mon, 17 Apr 23
33/51

Comments: 17 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2201.02357, arXiv:2301.02847

Effect of magnetic fields on the dynamics and gravitational wave emission of PPI-saturated self-gravitating accretion disks: simulations in full GR [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.07282


We explore the effect magnetic fields have on self-gravitating accretion disks around spinning black holes via numerical evolutions in full dynamical magnetohydrodynamic spacetimes. The configurations we study are unstable to the Papaloizou-Pringle Instability (PPI). PPI-saturated accretion tori have been shown to produce gravitational waves, detectable to cosmological distances by third-generation gravitational wave (GW) observatories. While the PPI operates strongly for purely hydrodynamic disks, the situation can be different for disks hosting initially small magnetic fields. Evolutions of disks without self-gravity in fixed BH spacetimes have shown that small seed fields can initiate the rapid growth of the magneto-rotational instability (MRI), which then strongly suppresses the PPI. Since realistic astrophysical disks are expected to be magnetized, PPI-generated GW signals may be suppressed as well. However, it is unclear what happens when the disk self-gravity is restored. Here, we study the impact of magnetic fields on the PPI-saturated state of a self-gravitating accretion disk around a spinning BH ($\chi = 0.7$) aligned with the disk angular momentum, as well as one around a non-spinning BH. We find the MRI is effective at reducing the amplitude of PPI modes and their associated GWs, but the systems still generate GWs. Estimating the detectability of these systems accross a wide range of masses, we show that magnetic fields reduce the maximum detection distance by Cosmic Explorer from 300Mpc (in the pure hydrodynamic case) to 45Mpc for a $10 M_{\odot}$ system, by LISA from 11500Mpc to 2700Mpc for a $2 \times 10^{5} M_{\odot}$ system, and by DECIGO from $z \approx 5$ down to $z \approx 2$ for a $1000 M_{\odot}$ system.

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E. Wessel, V. Paschalidis, A. Tsokaros, et. al.
Mon, 17 Apr 23
49/51

Comments: N/A

Measuring spin in coalescing binaries of neutron stars showing double precursors [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.07170


Gamma-ray bursts resulting from binary neutron-star mergers are sometimes preceded by precursor flares. These harbingers may be ignited by quasi-normal modes, excited by orbital resonances, shattering the stellar crust of one of the inspiralling stars up to $\gtrsim10$ seconds before coalescence. In the rare case that a system displays two precursors, successive overtones of either interface- or $g$-modes may be responsible for the overstrainings. Since the free-mode frequencies of these overtones have an almost constant ratio, and the inertial-frame frequencies for rotating stars are shifted relative to static ones, the spin frequency of the flaring component can be constrained as a function of the equation of state, the binary mass ratio, the mode quantum numbers, and the spin-orbit misalignment angle. As a demonstration of the method, we find that the precursors of GRB090510 hint at a spin frequency range of $2 \lesssim \nu_{\star}/\text{Hz} \lesssim 20$ for the shattering star if we allow for an arbitrary misalignment angle, assuming $\ell=2$ $g$-modes account for the events.

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H. Kuan, A. Suvorov and K. Kokkotas
Mon, 17 Apr 23
50/51

Comments: 11 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, with an appendix containing 1 figure

Stochastic gravitational wave background from stellar origin binary black holes in LISA [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.06368


We use the latest constraints on the population of stellar origin binary black holes (SOBBH) from LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA (LVK) observations, to estimate the stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) they generate in the frequency band of LISA. We account for the faint and distant binaries, which contribute the most to the SGWB, by extending the merger rate at high redshift assuming it tracks the star formation rate. We adopt different methods to compute the SGWB signal: an analytical evaluation, Monte Carlo sums over SOBBH population realisations, and a method that accounts for the role of the detector by simulating LISA data and iteratively removing resolvable signals until only the confusion noise is left, allowing for the extraction of both the expected SGWB and the number of resolvable SOBBHs. Since the latter are few for SNR thresholds larger than five, we confirm that the spectral shape of the SGWB in the LISA band follows the analytical prediction of a power law. We infer the probability distribution of the SGWB amplitude from the LVK GWTC-3 posterior of the binary population model; its interquartile range of $h^2\Omega_\mathrm{GW}(f=3\times10^{-3}\,\mathrm{Hz}) \in [5.65,\,11.5]\times10^{-13}$ is in agreement with most previous estimates. We perform a MC analysis to assess LISA’s capability to detect and characterise this signal. Accounting for both the instrumental noise and the galactic binaries foreground, with four years of data, LISA will be able to detect the SOBBH SGWB with percent accuracy, narrowing down the uncertainty on the amplitude by one order of magnitude with respect to the range of possible amplitudes inferred from the population model. A measurement of this signal by LISA will help to break the degeneracy among some of the population parameters, and provide interesting constraints, in particular on the redshift evolution of the SOBBH merger rate.

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S. Babak, C. Caprini, D. Figueroa, et. al.
Fri, 14 Apr 23
3/64

Comments: 39 pages, 15 figures

Early Structure Formation from Cosmic String Loops in Light of Early JWST Observations [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.06429


Cosmic strings, if they exist, source nonlinear and non-Gaussian perturbations all the way back to the time of equal matter and radiation (and earlier). Here, we compute the mass function of halos seeded by a scaling distribution of cosmic string loops, and we compare the results with the predictions of the standard Gaussian $\Lambda$CDM model. Assuming a simple linear relation between stellar mass and halo mass, we also compute the stellar mass function. The contribution of cosmic strings dominates at sufficiently high redshifts $z > z_c$ where $z_c$ depends on the mass of the halo and on the mass per unit length $\mu$ of the strings and is of the order $z_c \sim 12$ for $G\mu = 10^{-8}$. We find that strings with this value of $G\mu$ can explain the preliminary JWST data on the high redshift stellar mass density. Based on an extreme value statistic, we find that the mass of the heaviest expected string-seeded galaxy for the current JWST sky coverage is compatible with the heaviest detected galaxy. Given the uncertainties in the interpretation of the JWST data, we discuss predictions for higher redshift observations.

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H. Jiao, R. Brandenberger and A. Refregier
Fri, 14 Apr 23
7/64

Comments: 13 pages, 8 figures

Prospects for detecting anisotropies and polarization of the stochastic gravitational wave background with ground-based detectors [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.06640


We build an analytical framework to study the observability of anisotropies and a net chiral polarization of the Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background (SGWB) with a generic network of ground-based detectors. We apply this formalism to perform a Fisher forecast of the performance of a network consisting of the current interferometers (LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA) and planned third-generation ones, such as the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer. Our results yield limits on the observability of anisotropic modes, spanning across noise- and signal-dominated regimes. We find that if the isotropic component of the SGWB has an amplitude close to the current limit, third-generation interferometers with an observation time of $10$ years can measure multipoles (in a spherical harmonic expansion) up to $\ell = 8$ with ${\cal O }\left( 10^{-3} – 10^{-2} \right)$ accuracy relative to the isotropic component, and an ${\cal O }\left( 10^{-3} \right)$ amount of net polarization. For weaker signals, the accuracy worsens as roughly the inverse of the SGWB amplitude.

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G. Mentasti, C. Contaldi and M. Peloso
Fri, 14 Apr 23
9/64

Comments: 40 pages, 7 figures, prepared for submission to JCAP

Stability of relativistic tidal response against small potential modification [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.04551


The tidal response of compact objects in an inspiraling binary system is measured by a set of tidal Love and dissipation numbers imprinted in the gravitational waveforms. While a four-dimensional black hole in vacuum within General Relativity has vanishing Love numbers, a black hole in alternative theories of gravity can acquire non-vanishing Love numbers. The dissipation numbers may quantify Planckian corrections at the horizon scale. These properties will allow a test of classical theories of gravity in the strong-field regime with gravitational-wave observation. Since black holes are not in the exact vacuum environment in astrophysical situations, the following question arises: can the environment affect the tidal response? In this paper, we investigate the stability of the tidal response of a Schwarzschild black hole for frequency-dependent tidal-field perturbations against a small modification of the background. Our analysis relies on the scattering theory, which overcomes difficulties in defining the relativistic tidal Love numbers. The tidal Love and dissipation numbers can be extracted from the phase shift of sufficiently low-frequency scattering waves. We show that the tidal Love numbers are sensitive to the property of the modification. Therefore, we need careful consideration of the environment around the black hole in assessing the deviation of the underlying theory of gravity from General Relativity with the Love numbers. The modification has less impact on the dissipation numbers, indicating that quantifying the existence of the event horizon with them is not spoiled. We also demonstrate that in a composite system, i.e., a compact object with environmental effects, the Love and dissipation numbers are approximately determined by the sum of the numbers of each component.

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T. Katagiri, H. Nakano and K. Omukai
Fri, 14 Apr 23
23/64

Comments: 45 pages, 23 figures

Stochastic gravitational wave background constraints from Gaia DR3 astrometry [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.06350


Astrometric surveys can be used to constrain the stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) at very low frequencies. We use proper motion data provided by Gaia DR3 to fit a generic dipole+quadrupole field. We analyse several quasar-based datasets and discuss their purity and idoneity to set constraints on gravitational waves. For the cleanest dataset, we derive an upper bound on the (frequency-integrated) energy density of the SGWB $h_{70}^2\Omega_{\rm GW}\lesssim 0.087$ for $4.2\times 10^{-18}~\mathrm{Hz}\lesssim f\lesssim 1.1\times 10^{-8}~\mathrm{Hz}$. We also reanalyse previous VLBI-based data to set the constraint $h_{70}^2\Omega_{\rm GW}\lesssim 0.024$ for $5.8\times 10^{-18}~\mathrm{Hz}\lesssim f\lesssim 1.4\times 10^{-9}~\mathrm{Hz}$ under the same formalism, standing as the best astrometric constraint on GWs. Based on our results, we discuss the potential of future Gaia data releases to impose tighter constraints.

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S. Jaraba, J. García-Bellido, S. Kuroyanagi, et. al.
Fri, 14 Apr 23
24/64

Comments: 15 pages, 7 figures

Universal Gravitational Wave Signatures of Cosmological Solitons [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.06709


Cosmological solitonic objects such as monopoles, cosmic strings, domain walls, oscillons and Q-balls often appear in theories of the early Universe. We demonstrate that such scenarios are generically accompanied by a novel production source of gravitational waves stemming from soliton isocurvature perturbations. The resulting induced universal gravitational waves (UGWs) reside at lower frequencies compared to gravitational waves typically associated with soliton formation. We show that UGWs from axion-like particle (ALP) oscillons, originating from ALP misalignment, extend the frequency range of produced gravitational waves by more than two orders of magnitude regardless of the ALP mass and decay constant and can be observable in upcoming gravitational wave experiments. UGWs open a new route for gravitational wave signatures in broad classes of cosmological theories.

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K. Lozanov, M. Sasaki and V. Takhistov
Fri, 14 Apr 23
29/64

Comments: 8 pages, 2 figures

Rotation curves of galaxies in GR [GA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.06151


It has been suggested that the observed flat rotation curves of disk galaxies can be a peculiar effect of General Relativity (GR) rather than evidence for the presence of dark matter (DM) halos in Newtonian gravity. In Ciotti (2022) the problem has been quantitatively addressed by using the well known weak-field, low-velocity gravitomagnetic limit of GR, for realistic exponential baryonic (stellar) disks. As expected, the resulting GR and Newtonian rotation curves are indistinguishable, with GR corrections at all radii of the order of $v^2/c^2\approx 10^{-6}$. Here we list some astrophysical problems that must be faced if the existence of DM halos is attributed to a misinterpretation of weak field effects of GR.

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L. Ciotti
Fri, 14 Apr 23
30/64

Comments: 4 pages, no figures, Proceedings of EAS2022, Symposium S3, to be published on Memorie della SAIt

Fermionic Dark Matter: Physics, Astrophysics, and Cosmology [GA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.06329


The nature of dark matter (DM) is one of the most relevant questions in modern astrophysics. We present a brief overview of recent results that inquire into a possible fermionic quantum nature of the DM particles, focusing mainly on the interconnection between the microphysics of the neutral fermions {and the macrophysical structure of galactic halos, including their formation both in the linear and non-linear cosmological regimes. We discuss the general relativistic Ruffini-Arg\”uelles-Rueda (RAR) model of fermionic DM in galaxies, its applications to the Milky Way, the possibility that the Galactic center harbors a DM core instead of a supermassive black hole (SMBH), the S-cluster stellar orbits with an in-depth analysis of the S2’s orbit including precession, the application of the RAR model to other galaxy types (dwarf, elliptic, big elliptic and galaxy clusters), and universal galaxy relations. All the above focusing on the model parameters constraints, most relevant to the fermion mass. We also connect the RAR model fermions with particle physics DM candidates, self-interactions, and galactic observables constraints. The formation and stability of core-halo galactic structures predicted by the RAR model and their relation to warm DM cosmologies are also treated. Finally, we briefly discuss how gravitational lensing, dynamical friction, and the formation of SMBHs can also probe the DM nature.

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C. Arguüelles, E. Becerra-Vergara, J. Rueda, et. al.
Fri, 14 Apr 23
33/64

Comments: Review paper to be published in Universe, Special Issue “Galactic Center with Gravity”

Fine tuning of rainbow gravity functions and Klein-Gordon particles in cosmic string rainbow gravity spacetime [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.06546


We argue that, as long as relativistic quantum particles are in point, the variable $y=E/E_p$ of the rainbow functions pair $g_{{0}} (y)$ and $g{{1}} (y)$ should be fine tuned into $y=|E|/E_p$, where $E_p$ is the Planck’s energy scale. Otherwise, the rainbow functions will be only successful to describe the rainbow gravity effect on relativistic quantum particles and the anti-particles will be left unfortunate. Under such fine tuning, we consider Klein-Gordon (KG) particles in cosmic string rainbow gravity spacetime in a non-uniform magnetic field (i.e., $\mathbf{B}=\mathbf{\nabla }\times \mathbf{A}=\frac{3}{2}B{\circ }r\,\hat{z}$ ). Then we consider KG-particles in cosmic string rainbow gravity spacetime in a uniform magnetic field (i.e., $\mathbf{B}=\mathbf{\nabla }\times \mathbf{A}=\frac{1}{2}B_{\circ }\,\hat{z}$ ). Whilst the former effectively yields KG-oscillators, the later effectively yields KG-Coulombic particles. We report on the effects of rainbow gravity on both KG-oscillators and Coulombic particles using four pairs of rainbow functions: (i) $% g_{{0}}\left( y\right) =1$, $g{{1}}\left( y\right) =\sqrt{1-\epsilon y^{2}% }$, (ii) $g{{0}}\left( y\right) =1$, $g{{1}}\left( y\right) =\sqrt{% 1-\epsilon y}$, (iii) $g{{0}}\left( y\right) =g{{1}}\left( y\right) =\left( 1-\epsilon y\right) ^{-1}$, and (iv) $g{{0}}\left( y\right) =\left( e^{\epsilon y}-1\right) /\epsilon y$, $g{_{1}}\left( y\right) =1$, where $y=|E|/E_p$ and $\epsilon$ is the rainbow parameter. It is interesting to report that, all KG particles’ and anti-particles’ energies are symmetric about $E=0$ value (a natural relativistic quantum mechanical tendency), and a phenomenon of energy states to fly away and disappear from the spectrum is observed for the rainbow functions pair (iii) at $\gamma=\epsilon m/E_p=1$.

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O. Mustafa
Fri, 14 Apr 23
46/64

Comments: 15 pages, 7 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2301.05464, arXiv:2301.12370

Growing Pains: Understanding the Impact of Likelihood Uncertainty on Hierarchical Bayesian Inference for Gravitational-Wave Astronomy [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.06138


Observations of gravitational waves emitted by merging compact binaries have provided tantalising hints about stellar astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics. However, the physical parameters describing the systems, (mass, spin, distance) used to extract these inferences about the Universe are subject to large uncertainties. The current method of performing these analyses requires performing many Monte Carlo integrals to marginalise over the uncertainty in the properties of the individual binaries and the survey selection bias. These Monte Carlo integrals are subject to fundamental statistical uncertainties. Previous treatments of this statistical uncertainty has focused on ensuring the precision of the inferred inference is unaffected, however, these works have neglected the question of whether sufficient accuracy can also be achieved. In this work, we provide a practical exploration of the impact of uncertainty in our analyses and provide a suggested framework for verifying that astrophysical inferences made with the gravitational-wave transient catalogue are accurate. Applying our framework to models used by the LIGO-Virgo-Kagra collaboration, we find that Monte Carlo uncertainty in estimating the survey selection bias is the limiting factor in our ability to probe narrow populations model and this will rapidly grow more problematic as the size of the observed population increases.

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C. Talbot and J. Golomb
Fri, 14 Apr 23
52/64

Comments: 8 pages, 6 figures

The Image of the M87 Black Hole Reconstructed with PRIMO [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.06079


We present a new reconstruction of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) image of the M87 black hole from the 2017 data set. We use PRIMO, a novel dictionary-learning based algorithm that uses high-fidelity simulations of accreting black holes as a training set. By learning the correlations between the different regions of the space of interferometric data, this approach allows us to recover high-fidelity images even in the presence of sparse coverage and reach the nominal resolution of the EHT array. The black hole image comprises a thin bright ring with a diameter of $41.5\pm0.6\,\mu$as and a fractional width that is at least a factor of two smaller than previously reported. This improvement has important implications for measuring the mass of the central black hole in M87 based on the EHT images.

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L. Medeiros, D. Psaltis, T. Lauer, et. al.
Fri, 14 Apr 23
55/64

Comments: 7 pages, 5 figures

Cosmological constraints from standardized non-CMB observations [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05522


The current expansion of the Universe has been observed to be accelerating, and the widely accepted spatially-flat concordance model of general relativistic cosmology attributes this phenomenon to a constant dark energy, a cosmological constant, which is measured to comprise about 70% of the total energy budget of the current Universe. However, observational discrepancies and theoretical puzzles have raised questions about this model, suggesting that alternative cosmological models with non-zero spatial curvature and/or dark energy dynamics might provide better explanations.
To explore these possibilities, we have conducted a series of studies using standardized, lower-redshift observations to constrain six different cosmological models with varying degrees of flatness and dark energy dynamics. Through comparing these observations with theoretical predictions, we aim to deepen our understanding of the evolution of the Universe and shed new light on its mysteries. Our data provide consistent cosmological constraints across all six models, with some suggesting the possibility of mild dark energy dynamics and slight spatial curvature. However, these joint constraints do not rule out the possibility of dark energy being a cosmological constant and the spatial hypersurfaces being flat. Overall, our findings contribute to the ongoing efforts to refine our understanding of the Universe and its properties, and suggest that multiple cosmological models remain viable.

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S. Cao
Thu, 13 Apr 23
10/59

Comments: Ph.D. thesis, Kansas State University

Lensing with generalized symmetrons [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05875


Generalized symmetrons are models that have qualitatively similar features to the archetypal symmetron, but have barely been studied. In this article, we investigate for what parameter values the fifth forces induced by disformally coupling generalized symmetrons can provide an explanation for the difference between baryonic and lens masses of galaxies. While it is known that the standard symmetron struggles with providing an alternative source for the lensing otherwise attributed to particle dark matter, we show that some generalized symmetron models are more suitable for complying with existing constraints on disformal couplings. This motivates future studies of these only little explored models.

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C. Käding
Thu, 13 Apr 23
11/59

Comments: 18 pages, 4 figures

Astrophysical cloaking of a naked singularity [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05932


A massive naked singularity would be cloaked by accreted matter, and thus may appear to a distant observer as an opaque \mbox{(quasi-)}spherical surface of a fluid, not unlike that of a star or planet. We present here analytical solutions for levitating atmospheres around a wide class of spherically symmetric naked singularities. Such an atmosphere can be constructed in every spacetime which possesses a zero-gravity radius and which is a solution of a (modified-)gravity theory possessing the usual conservation laws for matter. Its density peaks at the zero-gravity radius and the atmospheric fluid is supported against infall onto the singularity by gravity alone. In an astrophysical context, an opaque atmosphere would be formed in a very short time by accretion of ambient matter onto the singularity — in a millisecond for an X-ray binary, in a thousand seconds for a singularity traversing interstellar space, and a thousand years for a singularity that is the central engine of an AGN.

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R. Vieira and W. Kluźniak
Thu, 13 Apr 23
13/59

Comments: 9 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to MNRAS

Analysis of the impact of broad absorption lines on quasar redshift measurements with synthetic observations [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05855


Accurate quasar classifications and redshift measurements are increasingly important to precision cosmology experiments. Broad absorption line (BAL) features are present in 15-20\% of all quasars, and these features can introduce systematic redshift errors, and in extreme cases produce misclassifications. We quantitatively investigate the impact of BAL features on quasar classifications and redshift measurements with synthetic spectra that were designed to match observations by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) survey. Over the course of five years, DESI aims to measure spectra for 40 million galaxies and quasars, including nearly three million quasars. Our synthetic quasar spectra match the signal-to-noise ratio and redshift distributions of the first year of DESI observations, and include the same synthetic quasar spectra both with and without BAL features. We demonstrate that masking the locations of the BAL features decreases the redshift errors by about 1\% and reduces the number of catastrophic redshift errors by about 80\%. We conclude that identifying and masking BAL troughs should be a standard part of the redshift determination step for DESI and other large-scale spectroscopic surveys of quasars.

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L. García, P. Martini, A. Gonzalez-Morales, et. al.
Thu, 13 Apr 23
27/59

Comments: 12 pages, 9 figures, submitted to MNRAS

Loop Quantum Cosmology: Physics of Singularity Resolution and its Implications [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05426


The occurrence of singularities where spacetime curvature becomes infinite and geodesic evolution breaks down are inevitable events in classical general relativity (GR) unless one chooses an exotic matter violating weak energy condition. These singularities show up in various physical processes, such as the gravitational collapse, the birth of the universe in the standard cosmology as well as the classical solutions of the black hole spacetimes. In the last two decades, a rigorous understanding of the dynamics of quantum spacetime and the way it resolves singularities has been achieved in loop quantum cosmology (LQC) which applies the concepts and techniques of loop quantum gravity to the symmetry reduced cosmological spacetimes. Due to the fundamental discreteness of quantum geometry derived from the quantum theory, the big bang singularity has been robustly shown to be replaced by a big bounce. Strong curvature singularities intrinsic in the classical cosmology are generically resolved for a variety of cosmological spacetimes including anisotropic models and polarized Gowdy models. Using effective spacetime description the LQC universe also provides an ultra-violet complete description of the classical inflationary scenario as well as its alternatives such as the ekpyrotic and matter bounce scenarios. In this chapter we provide a summary of singularity resolution and its physical implications for various isotropic and anisotropic cosmological spacetimes in LQC and analyze robustness of results through variant models originating from different quantization prescriptions.

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B. Li and P. Singh
Thu, 13 Apr 23
28/59

Comments: 48 pages, 3 figures. Invited chapter to appear in the “Handbook of Quantum Gravity”, edited by Cosimo Bambi, Leonardo Modesto and Ilya Shapiro, Springer (2023)

Cosmic Strings from Thermal Inflation [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05666


Thermal inflation was proposed as a mechanism to dilute the density of cosmological moduli. Thermal inflation is driven by a complex scalar field possessing a large vacuum expectation value and a very flat potential, called a `flaton’. Such a model admits cosmic string solutions, and a network of such strings will inevitably form in the symmetry breaking phase transition at the end of the period of thermal inflation. We discuss the differences of these strings compared to the strings which form in the Abelian Higgs model. Specifically, we find that the upper bound on the symmetry breaking scale is parametrically lower than in the case of Abelian Higgs strings, and that the lower cutoff on the string loop distribution is determined by cusp annihilation rather than by gravitational radiation (for the value of the transition temperature proposed in the original work on thermal inflation).

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R. Brandenberger and A. Favero
Thu, 13 Apr 23
31/59

Comments: 6 pages

Complexity and simplicity of self-gravitating fluids [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05870


We review a recently proposed definition of complexity of the structure of self–gravitating fluids \cite{ch1}, and the criterium to define the simplest mode of their evolution. We analyze the origin of these concepts and their possible applications in the study of gravitation collapse. We start by considering the static spherically symmetric case, extending next the study to static axially symmetric case. Afterward we consider the non–static spherically symmetric case. Two possible modes of evolution are proposed to be the simplest one. One is the homologous conditio,, however, as was shown later on, it may be useful to relax this last condition to enlarge the set of possible solutions, by adopting the so-called quasi-homologous condition. As another example of symmetry, we consider fluids endowed with hyperbolical symmetry. Exact solutions for static fluid distributions satisfying the condition of minimal complexity are presented.. An extension of the complexity factor to the vacuum solutions of the Einstein equations represented by the Bondi metric is discussed. A complexity hierarchy is established in this case, ranging from the Minkowski spacetime (the simplest one) to gravitationally radiating systems (the most complex). Finally we propose a list of questions which, we believe, deserve to be treated in the future

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L. Herrera
Thu, 13 Apr 23
35/59

Comments: 30 pages Latex (Revtex-4). Invited chapter for the edited book New Frontiers in Gravitational Collapse and Spacetime Singularities (Eds. P. Joshi and D. Malafarina, Springer Singapore), expected in 2023

Modelling Neutron-Star Ocean Dynamics [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05413


We re-visit the calculation of mode oscillations in the ocean of a rotating neutron star, which may be excited during thermonuclear X-ray bursts. Our present theoretical understanding of ocean modes relies heavily on the traditional approximation, commonly employed in geophysics. The approximation elegantly decouples the radial and angular sectors of the perturbation problem by neglecting the vertical contribution from the Coriolis force. However, as the implicit assumptions underlying it are not as well understood as they ought to be, we examine the traditional approximation and discuss the associated mode solutions. The results demonstrate that, while the approximation may be appropriate in certain contexts, it may not be accurate for rapidly rotating neutron stars. In addition, using the shallow-water approximation, we show analytically how the solutions that resemble r-modes change their nature in neutron-star oceans to behave like gravity waves. We also outline a simple prescription for lifting Newtonian results in a shallow ocean to general relativity, making the result more realistic.

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F. Gittins, T. Celora, A. Beri, et. al.
Thu, 13 Apr 23
47/59

Comments: 16 pages, 2 figures

Monomial warm inflation revisited [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05978


We revisit the idea that the inflaton may have dissipated part of its energy into a thermal bath during inflation, considering monomial inflationary potentials and three different forms of dissipation rate. Using a numerical Fokker-Planck approach to describe the stochastic dynamics of inflationary fluctuations, we confront this scenario with current bounds on the spectrum of curvature fluctuations and primordial gravitational waves. We also obtain analytical approximations that outperform those frequently used in previous analyses. We show that only our numerical Fokker-Planck method is accurate, fast and precise enough to test these models against current data. We advocate its use in future studies of warm inflation. We also apply the stochastic inflation formalism to this scenario, finding that a commonly implemented large thermal correction to the primordial spectrum–that had been argued to become apparent with it–is actually not required. Improved bounds on the scalar spectral index will further constrain warm inflation in the near future.

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G. Ballesteros, A. Rodríguez and M. Pierre
Thu, 13 Apr 23
55/59

Comments: 55 pages, 12 figures

Efficient multi-timescale dynamics of precessing black-hole binaries [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.04801


We present analytical and numerical progress on black-hole binary spin precession at second post-Newtonian order using multi-timescale methods. In addition to the commonly used effective spin which acts as a constant of motion, we exploit the weighted spin difference and show that such reparametrization cures the coordinate singularity that affected the previous formulation for the case of equal-mass binaries. The dynamics on the precession timescale is written down in closed form in both coprecessing and inertial frames. Radiation-reaction can then be introduced in a quasi-adiabatic fashion such that, at least for binaries on quasi-circular orbits, gravitational inspirals reduce to solving a single ordinary differential equation. We provide a broad review of the resulting phenomenology and re-write the relevant physics in terms of the newly adopted parametrization. This includes the spin-orbit resonances, the up-down instability, spin propagation at past time infinity, and new precession estimators to be used in gravitational-wave astronomy. Our findings are implemented in version 2 of the public Python module PRECESSION. Performing a precession-averaged post-Newtonian evolution from/to arbitrarily large separation takes $\lesssim 0.1$ s on a single off-the-shelf processor. This allows for a wide variety of applications including propagating gravitational-wave posterior samples as well as population-synthesis predictions of astrophysical nature.

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D. Gerosa, G. Fumagalli, M. Mould, et. al.
Wed, 12 Apr 23
1/45

Comments: Code available at this https URL

The International Pulsar Timing Array checklist for the detection of nanohertz gravitational waves [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.04767


Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) provide a way to detect gravitational waves at nanohertz frequencies. In this band, the most likely signals are stochastic, with a power spectrum that rises steeply at lower frequencies. Indeed, the observation of a common red noise process in pulsar-timing data suggests that the first credible detection of nanohertz-frequency gravitational waves could take place within the next few years. The detection process is complicated by the nature of the signals and the noise: the first observational claims will be statistical inferences drawn at the threshold of detectability. To demonstrate that gravitational waves are creating some of the noise in the pulsar-timing data sets, observations must exhibit the Hellings and Downs curve — the angular correlation function associated with gravitational waves — as well as demonstrating that there are no other reasonable explanations. To ensure that detection claims are credible, the International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA) has a formal process to vet results prior to publication. This includes internal sharing of data and processing pipelines between different PTAs, enabling independent cross-checks and validation of results. To oversee and validate any detection claim, the IPTA has also created an eight-member Detection Committee (DC) which includes four independent external members. IPTA members will only publish their results after a formal review process has concluded. This document is the initial DC checklist, describing some of the conditions that should be fulfilled by a credible detection.

Read this paper on arXiv…

B. Allen, S. Dhurandhar, Y. Gupta, et. al.
Wed, 12 Apr 23
12/45

Comments: 6 pages

Measuring tidal effects with the Einstein Telescope: A design study [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05349


Over the last few years, there has been a large momentum to ensure that the third-generation era of gravitational wave detectors will find its realisation in the next decades, and numerous design studies have been ongoing for some time. Some of the main factors determining the cost of the Einstein Telescope lie in the length of the interferometer arms and its shape: L-shaped detectors versus a single triangular configuration. Both designs are further expected to include a xylophone configuration for improvement on both ends of the frequency bandwidth of the detector. We consider binary neutron star sources in our study, as examples of sources already observed with the current generation detectors and ones which hold most promise given the broader frequency band and higher sensitivity of the third-generation detectors. We estimate parameters of the sources, with different kinds of configurations of the Einstein Telescope detector, varying arm-lengths as well as shapes and alignments. Overall, we find little improvement with respect to changing the shape, or alignment. However, there are noticeable differences in the estimates of some parameters, including tidal deformability, when varying the arm-length of the detectors. In addition, we also study the effect of changing the laser power, and the lower limit of the frequency band in which we perform the analysis.

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A. Puecher, A. Samajdar and T. Dietrich
Wed, 12 Apr 23
25/45

Comments: 11 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables

Aether Scalar Tensor (AeST) theory: Quasistatic spherical solutions and their phenomenology [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05134


There have been many efforts in the last three decades to embed the empirical MOND program into a robust theoretical framework. While many such theories can explain the profile of galactic rotation curves, they usually cannot explain the evolution 15 the primordial fluctuations and the formation of large-scale-structures in the Universe. The Aether Scalar Tensor (AeST) theory seems to have overcome this difficulty, thereby providing the first compelling example of an extension of general relativity able to successfully challenge the particle dark matter hypothesis. Here we study the phenomenology of this theory in the quasistatic weak-field regime and specifically for the idealised case of spherical isolated sources.
We find the existence of three distinct gravitational regimes, that is, Newtonian, MOND and a third regime characterised by the presence of oscillations in the gravitational potential which do not exist in the traditional MOND paradigm. We identify the transition scales between these three regimes and discuss their dependence on the boundary conditions and other parameters in the theory. Aided by analytical and numerical solutions, we explore the dependence of these solutions on the theory parameters. Our results could help in searching for interesting observable phenomena at low redshift pertaining to galaxy dynamics as well as lensing observations, however, this may warrant proper N-body simulations that go beyond the idealised case of spherical isolated sources.

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P. Verwayen, C. Skordis and C. Bœhm
Wed, 12 Apr 23
34/45

Comments: 15 pages, 8 figures

Strong Gravitational Lensing of Gravitational Waves with TianQin [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.04800


When gravitational waves pass by a massive object on its way to the Earth, strong gravitational lensing effect will happen. Thus the GW signal will be amplified, deflected, and delayed in time. Through analysing the lensed GW waveform, physical properties of the lens can be inferred. On the other hand, neglecting lensing effects in the analysis of GW data may induce systematic errors in the estimating of source parameters. As a space-borne GW detector, TianQin will be launched in the 2030s. It is expected to detect dozens of MBHBs merger as far as z = 15, and thus will have high probability to detect at least one lensed event during the mission lifetime. In this article, we discuss the capability of TianQin to detect lensed MBHBs signals. Three lens models are considered in this work: the point mass model, the SIS model, and the NFW model. The sensitive frequency band for space-borne GW detectors is around milli-hertz, and the corresponding GW wavelength could be comparable to the lens gravitational length scale, which requires us to account for wave diffraction effects. In calculating lensed waveforms, we adopt the approximation of geometric optics at high frequencies to accelerate computation, while precisely evaluate the diffraction integral at low frequencies. Through a Fisher analysis, we analyse the accuracy to estimate the lens parameters. We find that the accuracy can reach to the level of 10^-3 for the mass of point mass and SIS lens, and to the level of 10^-5 for the density of NFW lens. We also assess the impact on the accurate of estimating the source parameters, and find that the improvement of the accuracy is dominated by the increasing of SNR.

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X. Lin, J. Zhang, L. Dai, et. al.
Wed, 12 Apr 23
45/45

Comments: 12 pages, 8 figures

Measuring the properties of $f-$mode oscillations of a protoneutron star by third generation gravitational-wave detectors [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.04283


Core-collapse supernovae are among the astrophysical sources of gravitational waves that could be detected by third-generation gravitational-wave detectors. Here, we analyze the gravitational-wave strain signals from two- and three-dimensional simulations of core-collapse supernovae generated using the code F{\sc{ornax}}. A subset of the two-dimensional simulations has non-zero core rotation at the core bounce. A dominant source of time changing quadrupole moment is the $l=2$ fundamental mode ($f-$ mode) oscillation of the proto-neutron star. From the time-frequency spectrogram of the gravitational-wave strain we see that, starting $\sim 400$ ms after the core bounce, most of the power lies within a narrow track that represents the frequency evolution of the $f-$mode oscillations. The $f-$mode frequencies obtained from linear perturbation analysis of the angle-averaged profile of the protoneutron star corroborate what we observe in the spectrograms of the gravitational-wave signal. We explore the measurability of the $f-$mode frequency evolution of protoneutron star for a supernova signal observed in the third-generation gravitational-wave detectors. Measurement of the frequency evolution can reveal information about the masses, radii, and densities of the proto-neutron stars. We find that if the third generation detectors observe a supernova within 10 kpc, we can measure these frequencies to within $\sim$90\% accuracy. We can also measure the energy emitted in the fundamental $f-$mode using the spectrogram data of the strain signal. We find that the energy in the $f-$mode can be measured to within 20\% error for signals observed by Cosmic Explorer using simulations with successful explosion, assuming source distances within 10 kpc.

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C. Afle, S. Kundu, J. Cammerino, et. al.
Tue, 11 Apr 23
5/63

Comments: 17 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables

Efficient large-scale, targeted gravitational-wave probes of supermassive black-hole binaries [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.03786


Supermassive black hole binaries are promising sources of low-frequency gravitational waves (GWs) and bright electromagnetic emission. Pulsar timing array searches for resolved binaries are complex and computationally expensive and so far limited to only a few sources. We present an efficient approximation that empowers large-scale targeted multi-messenger searches by neglecting GW signal components from the pulsar term. This Earth-term approximation provides similar constraints on the total mass and GW frequency of the binary, yet is $>100$ times more efficient.

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M. Charisi, S. Taylor, C. Witt, et. al.
Tue, 11 Apr 23
14/63

Comments: Comments welcome

Conservative limits on the electric charge of Sgr A* in the Reissner-Nordstrom metric [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.04313


In General Relativity, the gravitational field of an electrically charged, non-rotating, spherically symmetric body is described by the Reissner-Nordstrom (RN) metric. In the naked-singularity regime, a general property of this metric is the existence of a radius, known as the zero-gravity radius, where a test particle would remain at rest. As a consequence of repulsive gravity there is no circular orbit inside this radius. A part of any quasi-stable structure must necessarily lie outside of it. Assuming the compact source Sgr A* at the galactic center may be a naked singularity in RN metric, we provide constraints on the electric charge-to-mass ratio Q/M based on different observations. The compari12 son between the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations and the space-time zero-gravity radius provides the most conservative limit on the charge of Sgr A* to be Q/M < 2.32. Therefore, a charged naked singularity respecting this charge-to-mass constraint is indeed consistent with the current EHT observations.

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R. Mishra and R. Vieira
Tue, 11 Apr 23
16/63

Comments: 6 pages, 3 figures

Polarized images of charged particles in vortical motions around a magnetized Kerr black hole [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.03642


In this work, we study the images of a Kerr black hole (BH) immersed in uniform magnetic fields, illuminated by the synchrotron radiation of charged particles in the jet. We particularly focus on the spontaneously vortical motions (SVMs) of charged particles in the jet region and investigate the polarized images of electromagnetic radiations from the trajectories along SVMs. We notice that there is a critical value $\omega_c$ for charged particle released at a given initial position and subjected an outward force, and once $|qB_0/m|=|\omega_B|>|\omega_c|$ charged particles can move along SVMs in the jet region. We obtain the polarized images of the electromagnetic radiations from the trajectories along SVMs. Our simplified model suggests that the SVM radiations can act as the light source to illuminate the BH and form a photon ring structure.

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Z. Zhang, Y. Hou, Z. Hu, et. al.
Tue, 11 Apr 23
20/63

Comments: 24 pages, 8 figures

Galileon inflation evades the no-go for PBH formation in the single-field framework [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.04065


We consider Galileon inflation in the Effective Field Theory (EFT) framework and examine the possibility for PBH formation during slow roll (SR) to ultra slow roll (USR) transitions. We show that loop corrections to the power spectrum, in this case, do not impose additional constraints on the masses of PBHs produced. We indicate that the remarkable non-renormalization property of Galileon due to generalized shift symmetry is responsible for protecting PBH formation from quantum loop corrections.

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S. Choudhury, S. Panda and M. Sami
Tue, 11 Apr 23
26/63

Comments: 44 pages, 2 figures, Comments are welcome

Perils of Towers in the Swamp: Dark Dimensions and the Robustness of Effective Field Theories [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.03902


Recently there has been an interesting revival of the idea to use large extra dimensions to address the dark energy problem, exploiting the (true) observation that towers of states with masses split, by $M^2_N = f(N) m^2,$ with $f$ an unbounded function of the integer $N$, sometimes contribute to the vacuum energy only an amount of order $m^D$ in $D$ dimensions. It has been argued that this fact is a consequence of swampland conjectures and may require a departure from Effective Field Theory (EFT) reasoning. We test this claim with calculations for Casimir energies in extra dimensions. We show why the domain of validity for EFTs ensures that the tower spacing scale $m$ is always an upper bound on the UV scale for the lower-energy effective theory; use of an EFT with a cutoff part way up a tower is not a controlled approximation. We highlight the role played by the sometimes-suppressed contributions from towers in extra-dimensional approaches to the cosmological constant problem, old and new, and point out difficulties encountered in exploiting it. We compare recent swampland realizations of these arguments with earlier approaches using standard EFT examples, discussing successes and limitations of both.

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C. Burgess and F. Quevedo
Tue, 11 Apr 23
28/63

Comments: 11 pages, 1 figure

Aspects of Everpresent $Λ$ (I): A Fluctuating Cosmological Constant from Spacetime Discreteness [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.03819


We provide a comprehensive discussion of the Everpresent $\Lambda$ cosmological model arising from fundamental principles in causal set theory and unimodular gravity. In this framework the value of the cosmological constant ($\Lambda$) fluctuates, in magnitude and in sign, over cosmic history. At each epoch, $\Lambda$ stays statistically close to the inverse square root of the spacetime volume. Since the latter is of the order of $H^2$ today, this provides a way out of the cosmological constant puzzle without fine tuning. Our discussion includes a review of what is known about the topic as well as new motivations and insights supplementing the original arguments. We also study features of a phenomenological implementation of this model, and investigate the statistics of simulations based on it. Our results show that while the observed values of $H_0$ and $\Omega_\Lambda^0$ are not typical outcomes of the model, they can be achieved through a modest number of simulations. We also confirm some expected features of $\Lambda$ based on this model, such as the fact that it stays statistically close to the value of the total ambient energy density (be it matter or radiation dominated), and that it is likely to change sign roughly every Hubble timescale.

Read this paper on arXiv…

S. Das, A. Nasiri and Y. Yazdi
Tue, 11 Apr 23
31/63

Comments: 28 pages, 10 figures

Mahakala: a Python-based Modular Ray-tracing and Radiative Transfer Algorithm for Curved Space-times [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.03804


We introduce Mahakala, a Python-based, modular, radiative ray-tracing code for curved space-times. We employ Google’s JAX framework for accelerated automatic differentiation, which can efficiently compute Christoffel symbols directly from the metric, allowing the user to easily and quickly simulate photon trajectories through non-Kerr metrics. JAX also enables Mahakala to run in parallel on both CPUs and GPUs and achieve speeds comparable to C-based codes. Mahakala natively uses the Cartesian Kerr-Schild coordinate system, which avoids numerical issues caused by the “pole” of spherical coordinates. We demonstrate Mahakala’s capabilities by simulating the 1.3 mm wavelength images (the wavelength of Event Horizon Telescope observations) of general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of low-accretion rate supermassive black holes. The modular nature of Mahakala allows us to easily quantify the relative contribution of different regions of the flow to image features. We show that most of the emission seen in 1.3 mm images originates close to the black hole. We also quantify the relative contribution of the disk, forward jet, and counter jet to 1.3 mm images.

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A. Sharma, L. Medeiros, C. Chan, et. al.
Tue, 11 Apr 23
33/63

Comments: 15 pages, 11 figures

A viable form of the metric Teleparallel F(T) theory of gravity [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.04180


Unlike F(R) gravity, pure metric F(T) gravity in the vacuum dominated era, ends up with an imaginary action and is therefore not feasible. This eerie situation may only be circumvented by associating a scalar field, which can also drive inflation in the very early universe. We show that, despite diverse claims, F(T) theory admits Noether symmetry only in the pressure-less dust era in the form F(T) proportional to the nth power of T, n being odd integers. A suitable form of F(T), admitting a viable Friedmann-like radiation dominated era, together with early deceleration and late-time accelerated expansion in the pressure-less dust era, has been proposed.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Chakrabortty, N. Sk and A. Sanyal
Tue, 11 Apr 23
57/63

Comments: 12 pages, 0 figures

The Effect of Boundary Conditions on Structure Formation in Fuzzy Dark Matter [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.03419


We illustrate the effect of boundary conditions on the evolution of structure in Fuzzy Dark Matter. Scenarios explored include the evolution of single, ground-state equilibrium solutions of the Schr\”odinger-Poisson system, the relaxation of a Gaussian density fluctuation, mergers of two equilibrium configurations, and the random merger of many solitons. For comparison, each scenario is evolved twice, with isolation boundary conditions and periodic boundary conditions, the two commonly used to simulate isolated systems and structure formation, respectively. Replacing isolation boundary conditions by periodic boundary conditions changes the domain topology and dynamics of each scenario, by affecting the outcome of gravitational cooling. With periodic boundary conditions, the ground-state equilibrium solution and Gaussian fluctuation each evolve toward the single equilibrium solitonic core of the isolated case, but surrounded by a tail, unlike the isolated versions. The case of head-on, binary mergers illustrates additional effects, caused by the pull suffered by the system due to the infinite network of periodic images along each direction of the domain. Binary merger with angular momentum is the first scenario we found in which the tail has a polynomial profile when using a periodic domain. Finally, the 3D merger of many, randomly-placed solitonic cores of different mass makes a solitonic core surrounded by a tail with power-law-like density profile, for periodic boundary conditions, while producing a core with a much sharper fall-off in the isolated case. This suggests that the conclusion of earlier work that the ground-state equilibrium solution is an attractor for the asymptotic state is true even in 3D and for general circumstances, but only if gravitational cooling is able to carry mass and energy off to infinity, which isolation boundary conditions allow, but periodic ones do not.

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I. Alvarez-Ríos, F. Guzmán and P. Shapiro
Mon, 10 Apr 23
2/36

Comments: 17 pages, 18 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. D

What's in a binary black hole's mass parameter? [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.03498


The gravitational wave observations have revealed four emerging peaks in the binary black hole mass distribution suggesting an overproduction of binaries clustered around specific mass values. Although the presence of the first and the third peaks has been attributed to binary black hole formation in star clusters or due to the evolution of stellar binaries in isolation, the second peak, because it lacks significance in the primary mass distribution, has received relatively less attention. In this article, we report that confidence in the second peak depends on the mass parameter we choose to model the population on. Unlike primary mass, when modelled on the chirp mass this peak is significant. We discuss the disparity as a consequence of mass asymmetry in the observations that cluster at the second peak. Finally, we report this asymmetry to be part of a potential trend in the mass ratio distribution which is manifested as a function of the chirp mass, but not as a function of primary mass, when we include the observation GW190814 in our modelling. Chirp mass is not a parameter of astrophysical relevance. Features present in the chirp mass, but not in the primary mass, are relatively difficult to explain and expected to garner significant interest.

Read this paper on arXiv…

V. Tiwari
Mon, 10 Apr 23
7/36

Comments: N/A

Fast inference of binary merger properties using the information encoded in the gravitational-wave signal [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.03731


Using simple, intuitive arguments, we discuss the expected accuracy with which astrophysical parameters can be extracted from an observed gravitational wave signal. The observation of a chirp like signal in the data allows for measurement of the component masses and aligned spins, while measurement in three or more detectors enables good localization. The ability to measure additional features in the observed signal — the existence or absence of power in i) the second gravitational wave polarization, ii) higher gravitational wave multipoles or iii) spin-induced orbital precession — provide new information which can be used to significantly improve the accuracy of parameter measurement. We introduce the simple-pe algorithm which uses these methods to generate rapid parameter estimation results for binary mergers. We present results from a set of simulations, to illustrate the method, and compare results from simple-pe with measurements from full parameter estimation routines. The simple-pe routine is able to provide initial parameter estimates in a matter of CPU minutes, which could be used in real-time alerts and also as input to significantly accelerate detailed parameter estimation routines.

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S. Fairhurst, C. Hoy, R. Green, et. al.
Mon, 10 Apr 23
9/36

Comments: 33 pages, 15 figures

Accelerating universe at the end of time [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.03418


We investigate whether an accelerating universe can be realized as an asymptotic late-time solution of FLRW-cosmology with multi-field multi-exponential potentials. Late-time cosmological solutions exhibit a universal behavior which enables us to bound the rate of time variation of the Hubble parameter. In string-theoretic realizations, if the dilaton remains a rolling field, our bound singles out a tension in achieving asymptotic late-time cosmic acceleration. Our findings go beyond previous no-go theorems in that they apply to arbitrary multi-exponential potentials and make no specific reference to vacuum or slow-roll solutions. We also show that if the late-time solution approaches a critical point of the dynamical system governing the cosmological evolution, the criterion for cosmic acceleration can be generally stated in terms of a directional derivative of the potential.

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G. Shiu, F. Tonioni and H. Tran
Mon, 10 Apr 23
30/36

Comments: 6 pages + appendix

Neutrino spin and flavor oscillations in gravitational fields [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.03622


We study spin and flavor oscillations of astrophysical neutrinos under the influence of external fields in curved spacetime. First, we consider spin oscillations in case of neutrinos gravitationally scattered off a rotating supermassive black hole surrounded by a thin magnetized accretion disk. We find that the gravitational interaction only does not result in the spin-flip of scattered ultrarelativistic neutrinos. Realistic magnetic fields lead to the significant reduction of the observed flux of neutrinos possessing reasonable magnetic moments. Second, we study neutrino flavor oscillations in stochastic gravitational waves (GWs). We derive the effective Hamiltonian for neutrinos interacting with a plane GW having an arbitrary polarization. Then, we consider stochastic GWs with arbitrary correlators of amplitudes. The equation for the density matrix for neutrino oscillations is solved analytically and the probabilities to detect certain neutrino flavors are derived. We find that the interaction of neutrinos, emitted by a core-collapsing supernova, with the stochastic GW background results in the several percent change of the neutrino fluxes. The observability of the predicted effects is discussed.

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M. Dvornikov
Mon, 10 Apr 23
32/36

Comments: 8 pages in LaTeX2e, 8 eps figures, contribution to proceedings of International Conference on Quantum Field Theory, High-Energy Physics, and Cosmology (July 18-21, 2022; JINR, Dubna, Russia), to be published in Phys. Part. Nucl. Lett

Searching for Primordial Black Holes with the Einstein Telescope: impact of design and systematics [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.03160


Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) have recently attracted much attention as they may explain some of the LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA observations and significantly contribute to the dark matter in our universe. The next generation of Gravitational Wave (GW) detectors will have the unique opportunity to set stringent bounds on this putative population of objects. Focusing on the Einstein Telescope (ET), in this paper we analyse in detail the impact of systematics and different detector designs on our future capability of observing key quantities that would allow us to discover and/or constrain a population of PBH mergers. We also perform a population analysis, with a mass and redshift distribution compatible with the current observational bounds. Our results indicate that ET alone can reach an exquisite level of accuracy on the key observables considered, as well as detect up to tens of thousands of PBH binaries per year, but for some key signatures (in particular high–redshift sources) the cryogenic instrument optimised for low frequencies turns out to be crucial, both for the number of observations and the error on the parameters reconstruction. As far as the detector geometry is concerned, we find that a network consisting of two separated L–shaped interferometers of 15 (20)~km arm length, oriented at $45^{\circ}$ with respect to each other performs better than a single triangular shaped instrument of 10 (15)~km arm length, for all the metrics considered.

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G. Franciolini, F. Iacovelli, M. Mancarella, et. al.
Fri, 7 Apr 23
2/50

Comments: 24 pages, 13 figures

Déjà-vu et Déjà-entendu: Associating fast radio bursts with compact binary mergers via gravitational lensing [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02879


The origin of fast radio bursts (FRBs) is currently an open question with several proposed sources and corresponding mechanisms for their production. Among them are compact binary coalescences (CBCs) that also generate gravitational waves (GWs). Spatial and temporal coincidences between GWs and FRBs have so far been used to search for potential FRB counterparts to GWs from CBCs. However, such methods suffer from relatively poor sky-localisation of the GW sources, and similarly poor luminosity distance estimates of both GW and FRB sources. The time delay between the GW and radio emission is also poorly understood. In this work, we propose an astrophysical scenario that could potentially provide an unambiguous association between CBCs and FRBs, if one exists, or unambiguously rule out FRB counterparts to a given CBC GW event. We demonstrate that, if a CBC that emitted both GWs and FRBs, is gravitationally lensed, we can make a $> 5\sigma$ association using time-delay estimates of the lensed GW and FRB images (in strong lensing), which are expected to be measured with mili-second (for GW) and nano-second (FRB) precisions. We also demonstrate that the CBC-FRB association can be made in the microlensing regime as well where wave-optics effects modulate the GW waveform. We further investigate the rate of such detected associations in future observing scenarios of both GW and radio detectors.

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M. Singh, S. Kapadia, S. Basak, et. al.
Fri, 7 Apr 23
3/50

Comments: 11 pages, 7 figures

Anisotropic Hubble Expansion in Pantheon+ Supernovae [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02718


We decompose the Pantheon+ Type Ia supernovae (SN) sample in hemispheres on the sky finding angular variations up to $4$ km/s/Mpc in the Hubble constant $H_0$ both in the SH0ES redshift range $0.0233 < z < 0.15$ and in the extended redshift range $0.01 < z < 0.7$. We assume the $\Lambda$CDM model, so our findings become model dependent in extended redshift ranges. $H_0$ is larger in a hemisphere encompassing the CMB dipole direction. The variations we see exceed the errors on the recent SH0ES determination, $H_0 = 73.04 \pm 1.04$ km/s/Mpc, but are not large enough to explain early versus late Universe discrepancies in the Hubble constant. The removal of low redshift SN leads to a weakening of angular $H_0$ variations, but we confirm that they persist beyond the influence of the Shapley supercluster $z > 0.06$

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R. McConville and E. Colgáin
Fri, 7 Apr 23
6/50

Comments: 4 pages, 7 figures. Comments welcome

Local Limit of Nonlocal Gravity: A Teleparallel Extension of General Relativity [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.05536


We describe a general constitutive framework for a teleparallel extension of the general theory of relativity. This approach goes beyond the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity (TEGR) by broadening the analogy with the electrodynamics of media. In particular, the main purpose of this paper is to investigate in detail a local constitutive extension of TEGR that is the local limit of nonlocal gravity (NLG). Within this framework, we study the modified FLRW cosmological models. Of these, the most cogent turns out to be the modified flat model which is shown to be inconsistent with the existence of a positive cosmological constant. Moreover, dynamic dark energy and other components of the modified flat model evolve differently with the expansion of the universe as compared to the standard flat cosmological model. The observational consequences of the modified flat model are briefly explored and it is shown that the model is capable of resolving the H_0 tension.

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J. Tabatabaei, S. Baghram and B. Mashhoon
Fri, 7 Apr 23
7/50

Comments: 30 pages; v2: expanded discussion of the modified flat model regarding H_0 tension

Inferring the Astrophysical Population of Gravitational Wave Sources in the Presence of Noise Transients [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02665


The global network of interferometric gravitational wave (GW) observatories (LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA) has detected and characterized nearly 100 mergers of binary compact objects. However, many more real GWs are lurking sub-threshold, which need to be sifted from terrestrial-origin noise triggers (known as glitches). Because glitches are not due to astrophysical phenomena, inference on the glitch under the assumption it has an astrophysical source (e.g. binary black hole coalescence) results in source parameters that are inconsistent with what is known about the astrophysical population. In this work, we show how one can extract unbiased population constraints from a catalog of both real GW events and glitch contaminants by performing Bayesian inference on their source populations simultaneously. In this paper, we assume glitches come from a specific class with a well-characterized effective population (blip glitches). We also calculate posteriors on the probability of each event in the catalog belonging to the astrophysical or glitch class, and obtain posteriors on the number of astrophysical events in the catalog, finding it to be consistent with the actual number of events included.

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J. Heinzel, C. Talbot, G. Ashton, et. al.
Fri, 7 Apr 23
12/50

Comments: 13 pages, 10 figures

On the detectability of higher harmonics with LISA [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.03142


Supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHB) are expected to be detected by the future space-based gravitational-wave detector LISA with a large signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). This prospect enhances the possibility of differentiating higher harmonics in the inspiral-merger-ringdown (IMR) waveform. In this study, we test the ability of LISA to identify the presence of different modes in the IMR waveform from a SMBHB. We analyze the contribution of each mode to the total SNR for different sources. We show that higher modes, in particular, the mode $(3, 3)$ and $(4, 4)$, can dominate the signal observed through the LISA detector for SMBHB of the order of $10^8 M_\odot$. With Bayesian analysis, we can discriminate models with different IMR modes. While higher modes are often considered to be orthogonal, it is no longer the case in the merger-ringdown phase. Therefore, omitting harmonics not only diminishes the SNR but can also lead to biases in the parameter estimation. We analyze the bias for each model for our example system and quantify the threshold SNR where we can expect the parameter bias to be comparable to the statistical error. Our work highlights the importance of higher modes to describe the gravitational waveform of events detected by LISA.

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C. Pitte, Q. Baghi, S. Marsat, et. al.
Fri, 7 Apr 23
16/50

Comments: 20 pages, 12 figures, submitted to PRD

$\mathbf {SU(\infty)}$-QGR Quantumania: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02761


$SU(\infty)$-QGR is a quantum approach to Universe and gravity. Its main assumption is infinite mutually commuting observables in the Universe, leading to representation of $SU(\infty)$ by its Hilbert spaces and those of its subsystems. The Universe as a whole is static, topological, and characterized by two continuous parameters. Nonetheless, quantum fluctuations induce clustering and finite rank internal symmetries, which approximately divide the Universe to infinite interacting subsystems. Their Hilbert space depends on an additional dimensionful parameter, and selection of a subsystem as clock induces a relative dynamics, with $SU(\infty)$ sector as gravity. The Lagrangian defined on the (3+1)-dimensional parameter space is Yang-Mills for both symmetries. When quantumness of gravity is undetectable, it is perceived as curvature of an effective spacetime.

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H. Ziaeepour
Fri, 7 Apr 23
21/50

Comments: 12 pages, no figure. Essay submitted to 2023 Awards for Essays on Gravitation

Axial perturbations of black holes in scalar-tensor gravity: near-horizon behaviour [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.03055


We consider axial (or odd-parity) perturbations of non-spinning hairy black holes (BH) in shift-symmetric DHOST (Degenerate Higher-Order Scalar-Tensor) theories, including terms quartic and cubic in second derivatives of the scalar field. We give a new formulation of the effective metric in which axial perturbations propagate as in general relativity. We then introduce a generic parametrization of the effective metric in the vicinity of the background BH horizon. Writing the dynamics of the perturbations in terms of a Schr\”odinger-like operator, we discuss in which cases the operator is (essentially) self-adjoint, thus leading to an unambiguous time evolution, according to the choice of parameters characterizing the near-horizon effective metric. This is in particular useful to investigate the stability of the perturbations. We finally illustrate our general analysis with two examples of BH solutions.

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K. Noui, H. Roussille and D. Langlois
Fri, 7 Apr 23
34/50

Comments: 24 pages, 3 appendices

Minihalos as probes of the inflationary spectrum: accurate boost factor calculation and new CMB constraints [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02996


Although the spectrum of primordial fluctuations has been accurately measured on scales above $\sim 0.1~\rm{Mpc}$, only upper limits exist on smaller scales. In this study, we investigate generic monochromatic enhancements to the $\Lambda$CDM spectrum that trigger the collapse of ultracompact minihalos (UCMHs) well before standard structure formation. We refine previous treatments by considering a mixed population of halos with different density profiles, that should realistically arise as a consequence of late-time accretion and mergers. Assuming that dark matter (DM) can self-annihilate, we find, as expected, that UCMHs can greatly enhance the annihilation rate around recombination, significantly imprinting the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies. However, we provide additional insight on the theoretical uncertainties that currently impact that boost and which may affect late-time probes such as the 21 cm line or $\gamma$-ray signals. We derive constraints on the primordial power spectrum on small scales using the ExoCLASS/HYREC codes and the Planck legacy data. We account for the velocity dependence of the DM annihilation cross-section ($s$- or $p$-wave), annihilation channel, the DM particle mass and the inclusion of late-time halo mergers. Our $s$-wave constraints are competitive with previous literature, excluding primordial amplitudes $A_{\star} \gtrsim 10^{-6.5}$ at wavenumbers $k \sim 10^4-10^7 \ \rm{Mpc}^{-1}$. For the first time, we highlight that even $p$-wave processes have constraining power on the primordial spectrum for cross-sections still allowed by currently the strongest astrophysical constraints. Finally, we provide an up-to-date compilation of the most stringent limits on the primordial power spectrum across a wide range of scales.

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G. Abellán and G. Facchinetti
Fri, 7 Apr 23
44/50

Comments: 43 pages, 12 figures. Comments welcome!

Improving pulsar-timing solutions through dynamic pulse fitting [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02793


Precision pulsar timing is integral to the detection of the nanohertz stochastic gravitational-wave background as well as understanding the physics of neutron stars. Conventional pulsar timing often uses fixed time and frequency-averaged templates to determine the pulse times of arrival, which can lead to reduced accuracy when the pulse profile evolves over time. We illustrate a dynamic timing method that fits each observing epoch using basis functions. By fitting each epoch separately, we allow for the evolution of the pulse shape epoch to epoch. We apply our method to PSR J1103$-$5403 and demonstrate that it undergoes mode changing, making it the fourth millisecond pulsar to exhibit such behaviour. Our method, which is able to identify and time a single mode, yields a timing solution with a root-mean-square error of 1.343 $\mu \mathrm{s}$, a factor of 1.78 improvement over template fitting on both modes. In addition, the white-noise amplitude is reduced 4.3 times, suggesting that fitting the full data set causes the mode changing to be incorrectly classified as white noise. This reduction in white noise boosts the signal-to-noise ratio of a gravitational-wave background signal for this particular pulsar by 32%. We discuss the possible applications for this method of timing to study pulsar magnetospheres and further improve the sensitivity of searches for nanohertz gravitational waves.

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R. Nathan, M. Miles, G. Ashton, et. al.
Fri, 7 Apr 23
48/50

Comments: 8 pages, 8 figures

Eternal binaries [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02039


The two-body problem is extensively studied in open systems and asymptotically flat spacetimes. However, there are many systems where radiation is trapped: they range from radiating charges in cavities to low-energy excitations of massive degrees of freedom, to anti-de Sitter spacetimes. Here, we study the problem of motion of a pointlike particle orbiting a massive compact object inside a cavity. We first show that – assuming circular motion – there are initial conditions for which the self-force vanishes and the binary is eternal. We then consider the evolution of the system under radiation reaction in a toy model which we argue captures the essentials of orbiting particles. We show that eternal circular binaries may exist. We also show that the presence of cavity modes leads to chaos in regimes of strong coupling or when the system is initialized close enough to a resonance. Our results have implications for physics in anti-de Sitter spacetimes and possibly for binaries evolving within dark matter haloes, if it consists on massive fundamental fields.

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J. Redondo-Yuste, V. Cardoso, C. Macedo, et. al.
Thu, 6 Apr 23
2/76

Comments: 21 pages, 17 figures

The Next Generation Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration: History, Philosophy, and Culture [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02463


This white paper outlines the plans of the History Philosophy Culture Working Group of the Next Generation Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration.

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P. Galison, J. Doboszewski, J. Elder, et. al.
Thu, 6 Apr 23
3/76

Comments: 23 pages, 1 figure

The Lense-Thirring effect on the Galilean moons of Jupiter [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02289


The perspectives of detecting the general relativistic Lense-Thirring effect on the orbits of the Galilean moons of Jupiter induced by its angular momentum ${\boldsymbol{S}}$ are preliminarily investigated. Numerical integrations over one century show that the expected gravitomagnetic signatures of some observables such as the satellites’ right ascension $\alpha$ and declination $\delta$ are as large as tens of arcseconds for Io, while for Callisto they drop to the $\simeq 0.2\,\mathrm{arcseconds}$ level; the shifts in the transverse component $T$ of the orbit range from 40 km for Io to 2 km for Callisto. Major competing effects due to the mismodeling in the zonal multipoles $J_\ell,\,\ell=2,\,3,\,4,\,\ldots$ of the Jovian non-spherically symmetric gravity field and in the Jupiter’s spin axis ${\boldsymbol{\hat{k}}}$ should have a limited impact, especially in view of the future improvements in determing such parameters expected after the completion of the ongoing Juno mission in the next few years. Present-day accuracy in knowing the orbits of Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto is of the order of 10 milliarcseconds, to be likely further improved by the approved JUICE and Clipper missions. This suggests that the Lense-Thirring effect in the main Jovian system of moons might be detectable with dedicated data reductions in which the gravitomagnetic field is explicitly modeled and solved-for.

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L. Iorio
Thu, 6 Apr 23
8/76

Comments: LaTex2e, 24 pages, 12 figures, no tables

Gravitoelectric dynamical tides at second post-Newtonian order [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02030


We present a gravitoelectric quadrupolar dynamical tidal-interaction Hamiltonian for a compact binary system, that is valid to second order in the post-Newtonian expansion. Our derivation uses the diagrammatic effective field theory approach, and involves Feynman integrals up to two loops, evaluated with the dimensional regularization scheme. We also derive the effective Hamiltonian for adiabatic tides, obtained by taking the appropriate limit of the dynamical effective Hamiltonian, and we check its validity by verifying the complete Poincar\’e algebra. In the adiabatic limit, we also calculate two gauge-invariant observables, namely, the binding energy for a circular orbit and the scattering angle in a hyperbolic scattering. Our results are important for developing accurate gravitational waveform models for neutron-star binaries for present and future gravitational-wave observatories.

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M. Mandal, P. Mastrolia, H. Silva, et. al.
Thu, 6 Apr 23
23/76

Comments: 20 pages, 2 figures, 1 table

Landscape of stellar-mass black-hole spectroscopy with third-generation gravitational-wave detectors [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02283


Gravitational-wave black-hole spectroscopy provides a unique opportunity to test the strong-field regime of gravity and the nature of the final object formed in the aftermath of a merger. Here we investigate the prospects for black-hole spectroscopy with third-generation gravitational-wave detectors, in particular the Einstein Telescope in different configurations, possibly in combination with Cosmic Explorer. Using a state-of-the-art population model for stellar-origin binary black holes informed by LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA data, we compute the average number of expected events for precision black-hole spectroscopy using a Fisher-matrix analysis. We find that Einstein Telescope will measure two independent quasinormal modes within ${\cal O}(1)\%$ (resp. ${\cal O}(10)\%$) relative uncertainty for at least ${\cal O}(1)$ (resp. ${\cal O}(500)$) events per year, with similar performances in the case of a single triangular configuration or two L-shaped detectors with same arm length. A 15-km arm-length configuration would improve rates by roughly a factor of two relative to a 10-km arm-length configuration. When operating in synergy with Cosmic Explorer the rates will improve significantly, reaching few-percent accuracy for ${\cal O}(100)$ events per year.

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S. Bhagwat, C. Pacilio, P. Pani, et. al.
Thu, 6 Apr 23
24/76

Comments: 13 pages, 9 figures

Peregrine: Sequential simulation-based inference for gravitational wave signals [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02035


The current and upcoming generations of gravitational wave experiments represent an exciting step forward in terms of detector sensitivity and performance. For example, key upgrades at the LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA facilities will see the next observing run (O4) probe a spatial volume around four times larger than the previous run (O3), and design implementations for e.g. the Einstein Telescope, Cosmic Explorer and LISA experiments are taking shape to explore a wider frequency range and probe cosmic distances. In this context, however, a number of very real data analysis problems face the gravitational wave community. For example, it will be crucial to develop tools and strategies to analyse (amongst other scenarios) signals that arrive coincidentally in detectors, longer signals that are in the presence of non-stationary noise or other shorter transients, as well as noisy, potentially correlated, coherent stochastic backgrounds. With these challenges in mind, we develop peregrine, a new sequential simulation-based inference approach designed to study broad classes of gravitational wave signal. In this work, we describe the method and implementation, before demonstrating its accuracy and robustness through direct comparison with established likelihood-based methods. Specifically, we show that we are able to fully reconstruct the posterior distributions for every parameter of a spinning, precessing compact binary coalescence using one of the most physically detailed and computationally expensive waveform approximants (SEOBNRv4PHM). Crucially, we are able to do this using only 2\% of the waveform evaluations that are required in e.g. nested sampling approaches. Finally, we provide some outlook as to how this level of simulation efficiency and flexibility in the statistical analysis could allow peregrine to tackle these current and future gravitational wave data analysis problems.

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U. Bhardwaj, J. Alvey, B. Miller, et. al.
Thu, 6 Apr 23
27/76

Comments: 14 pages, 5 figures. Code: peregrine available at this https URL

Constraining Horndeski theory with gravitational waves from coalescing binaries [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02535


In the broad subclass of Horndeski theories with a luminal speed of gravitational waves, we derive gravitational waveforms emitted from a compact binary by considering the wave propagation on a spatially flat cosmological background. A scalar field nonminimally coupled to gravity gives rise to hairy neutron star (NS) solutions with a nonvanishing scalar charge, whereas black holes (BHs) do not have scalar hairs in such theories. A binary system containing at least one hairy neutron star modifies the gravitational waveforms in comparison to those of the BH-BH binary. Using the tensor gravitational waveforms, we forecast the constraints on a parameter characterizing the difference of scalar charges of NS-BH or NS-NS binaries for Advanced LIGO and Einstein Telescope. We illustrate how these constraints depend on redshift and signal-to-noise ratio, and on different possible priors. We show that in any case it is possible to constrain the scalar charge precisely, so that some scalarized NS solutions known in the literature can be excluded.

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M. Quartin, S. Tsujikawa, L. Amendola, et. al.
Thu, 6 Apr 23
30/76

Comments: 21 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Comments are welcome

Quantitative constraints on modified gravity paradigms [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02522


We use low-redshift background cosmology data to place quantitative constraints on three separate modified gravity models, each of which aims to explain the low-redshift acceleration through a different physical mechanism. The Lifshitz cosmology is effectively a parametric extension of the canonical $\Lambda$CDM model, where a time-dependent cosmological constant originates from vacuum energy. The Infinite Statistics model is also a parametric extension of $\Lambda$CDM, where the dark energy is dynamic and originates from the curvature of a dual space-time. We show that the data restricts the additional parameters in these models to be consistent with their $\Lambda$CDM values, and in particular that it implies that the theoretically predicted value for a dimensionless coupling parameter in the Lifshitz model is ruled out at more than six standard deviations. In the Regge-Teitelboim model, gravity is described by embedding the usual space-time manifold in a fixed higher-dimensional background, and there is no parametric $\Lambda$CDM limit. We study several separate realizations of the model, respectively introduced by Davidson, by Fabi \textit{et al.}, and by Stern \& Xu, and show that the first two are ruled out by the low-redshift data we use, while the latter is consistent with this data but requires a non-standard value of the matter density. Overall, our analysis highlights the tight constraints imposed by current data on the allowed low-redshift deviations from the standard $\Lambda$CDM background evolution.

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S. Pinto, A. Cabral and C. Martins
Thu, 6 Apr 23
39/76

Comments: 11 pages, 8 figures, Phys. Rev. D (in press)

Study of deflection angles, thin accretion structure, and the observational signatures of a static $f(R)$ black hole [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02111


In this paper, we constrain the linear dark-matter-related parameter of a static spherically symmetric f (R) black hole spacetime regarding the observed angular diameters of M87* and Sgr A* from the EHT. We then investigate the light deflection angles inferred from direct analytical calculation of null geodesics and that obtained from the Gauss-Bonnet theorem. Assuming an optically thin accretion disk for the black hole and after discussing its properties, we conceive different emission profiles and investigate the shadow cast of this black hole when it is illuminated by the disk. Furthermore, we simulate the brightness of an infalling spherical accretion in the context of the silhouette imaging of the black hole. We find that, excluding some specific cases, the specific observed brightness of the accretion disk consists of the direct emission, rather than that for the lensing and photon rings. Furthermore, it is revealed that the linear dark parameter of the black hole has considerable effects on the size of the shadow and its brightness. The discussion is done both analytically and numerically, and ray-tracing methods are employed to generate proper visualizations

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M. Fathi and N. Cruz
Thu, 6 Apr 23
41/76

Comments: 28 pages, 87 figures

Gravitational lens on an optical constant-curvature background: Its application to Weyl gravity model [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02219


We describe the gravitational lens on a constant-curvature background by using an optical constant-curvature (OCC) approach that allows to explicitly take into account a global geometry of the background space. First, light rays are curves in the space described by an optical metric. The OCC approach focuses on the case that the optical metric for the background spacetime has a constant curvature, for which the exact lens equation on an OCC background [Phys. Rev. D 105, 084022 (2022)] can be used. As a concrete example, next we discuss the gravitational lens in Mannheim-Kazanas (MK) solution, which include Rindler and de Sitter terms. By fully taking into account a background dependence of the light deflection, the deflection angle of light consistent with the OCC approach is well defined at large distance. In the OCC approach, finally, we examine the global behavior of the deflection angle and the gravitational lens observables in the Weyl gravity.

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K. Takizawa and H. Asada
Thu, 6 Apr 23
52/76

Comments: 11 pages, 4 figures

Causality bounds on scalar-tensor EFTs [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01259


We compute the causality/positivity bounds on the Wilson coefficients of scalar-tensor effective field theories. Two-sided bounds are obtained by extracting IR information from UV physics via dispersion relations of scattering amplitudes, making use of the full crossing symmetry. The graviton $t$-channel pole is carefully treated in the numerical optimization, taking into account the constraints with fixed impact parameters. It is shown that the typical sizes of the Wilson coefficients can be estimated by simply inspecting the dispersion relations. We carve out sharp bounds on the leading coefficients, particularly, the scalar-Gauss-Bonnet couplings, and discuss how some bounds vary with the leading $(\partial\phi)^4$ coefficient and as well as phenomenological implications of the causality bounds.

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D. Hong, Z. Wang and S. Zhou
Thu, 6 Apr 23
53/76

Comments: 72 pages, 15 figures

A Test of Gravity with Pulsar Timing Arrays [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02640


A successful measurement of the Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background (SGWB) in Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs) would open up a new window through which to test the predictions of General Relativity (GR). We consider how these measurements might reveal deviations from GR by studying the overlap reduction function — the quantity that in GR is approximated by the Hellings-Downs curve — in some sample modifications of gravity, focusing on the generic prediction of a modified dispersion relation for gravitational waves. We find a distinct signature of such modifications to GR — a shift in the minimum angle of the angular distribution — and demonstrate that this shift is quantitatively sensitive to any change in the phase velocity. In a given modification of gravity, this result can be used, in some regions of parameter space, to distinguish the effect of a modified dispersion relation from that due to the presence of extra polarization modes.

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Q. Liang, M. Lin and M. Trodden
Thu, 6 Apr 23
58/76

Comments: 22 pages, 4 figures

Growth of Perturbations in Energy-Momentum-Squared Gravity [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01571


Employing the spherical collapse (SC) formalism, we investigate the linear evolution of the matter overdensity for energy-momentum-squared gravity (EMSG) which in practical phenomenological terms, one may imagine as an extension of \LambdaCDM model of cosmology. The underlying model while still having a cosmological constant, is a nonlinear matter extension of the general theory of relativity and includes modification terms dominating in the high energy regimes i.e., early universe. Considering the Friedman-Robertson-Walker (FRW) background in the presence of a cosmological constant, we find the effects of the modifications arising from EMSG on the growth of perturbations at the early stages of the universe. By taking into account both possible negative, and positive values of the model parameter of EMSG, we discuss its role in the evolution of the matter density contrast and growth function in the level of linear perturbations. While EMSG leaves imprints distinguishable from \LambdaCDM, we find that the negative range of the ESMG model parameter is not well-behaved indicating an anomaly in the parameter space of the model. In this regard, for the evaluation of the galaxy cluster number count in the framework of EMSG, we equivalently provide an analysis of the number count of the gravitationally collapsed objects (or the dark matter halos). We show that the galaxy cluster number count decreases compared to the \LambdaCDM model. In agreement with the hierarchical model of structure formation, in EMSG cosmology also the more massive structures are less abundant, meaning that form at later times.

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B. Farsi, A. Sheykhi and M. Khodadi
Wed, 5 Apr 23
4/62

Comments: 9 pages, 8 figures

Gravitational Bose-Einstein Condensation of Vector/Hidden Photon Dark Matter [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01965


We study the gravitational Bose-Einstein condensation of a massive vector field in the kinetic regime and the non-relativistic limit using non-linear dynamical numerical methods. Gravitational condensation leads to the spontaneous formation of solitons. We measure the condensation time and growth rate, and compare to analytical models in analogy to the scalar case. We find that the condensation time of the vector field depends on the correlation between its different components. For fully correlated configurations, the condensation time is the same as that for a scalar field. On the other hand, uncorrelated or partially correlated configurations condense slower than the scalar case. As the vector soliton grows, it acquires a net spin angular momentum even if the total spin angular momentum of the initial conditions is zero.

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J. Chen, X. Du, M. Zhou, et. al.
Wed, 5 Apr 23
10/62

Comments: 10 pages, 7 figures

Oscillon formation during inflationary preheating with general relativity [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01673


We study the non-perturbative evolution of inflationary fluctuations during preheating using fully non-linear general-relativistic field-theory simulations. We choose a single-field inflationary model that is consistent with observational constraints and start the simulations at the end of inflation with fluctuations both in the field and its conjugate momentum. Gravity enhances the growth of density perturbations, which then collapse and virialize, forming long-lived stable oscillon-like stars that reach compactnesses $\mathcal{C}\equiv GM/R \sim 10^{-3}-10^{-2}$. We find that $\mathcal{C}$ increases for larger field models, until it peaks due to the interplay between the overdensity growth and Hubble expansion rates. Whilst gravitational effects can play an important role in the formation of compact oscillons during preheating, the objects are unlikely to collapse into primordial black holes without an additional enhancement of the initial inflationary fluctuations.

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J. Aurrekoetxea, K. Clough and F. Muia
Wed, 5 Apr 23
14/62

Comments: 7 pages. 4 figures. Comments welcome! Movie: this https URL

Black hole superradiant instability for massive spin-2 fields [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01265


Due to coherent superradiant amplification, massive bosonic fields can trigger an instability in spinning black holes, tapping their energy and angular momentum and forming macroscopic Bose-Einstein condensates around them. This phenomenon produces gaps in the mass-spin distribution of astrophysical black holes, a continuous gravitational-wave signal emitted by the condensate, and several environmental effects relevant for gravitational-wave astronomy and radio images of black holes. While the spectrum of superradiantly unstable mode is known in great detail for massive scalar (spin-0) and vector (spin-1) perturbations, so far only approximated results were derived for the case of massive tensor (spin-2) fields, due to the nonseparability of the field equations. Here, solving a system of ten elliptic partial differential equations, we close this program and compute the spectrum of the most unstable modes of a massive spin-2 field for generic black-hole spin and boson mass, beyond the hydrogenic approximation and including the unique dipole mode that dominates the instability in the spin-2 case. We find that the instability timescale for this mode is orders of magnitude shorter than for any other superradiant mode, yielding much stronger constraints on massive spin-2 fields. These results pave the way for phenomenological studies aimed at constraining beyond Standard Model scenarios, ultralight dark matter candidates, and extensions to General Relativity using gravitational-wave and electromagnetic observations, and have implications for the phase diagram of vacuum solutions of higher-dimensional gravity.

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O. Dias, G. Lingetti, P. Pani, et. al.
Wed, 5 Apr 23
24/62

Comments: 5+1 pages, 2+1 figures

On the primordial black hole formation in hybrid inflation [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01249


We revisit the scenario of primordial black hole (PBH) formation from large curvature perturbations generated during the waterfall phase transition in hybrid inflation models. In a minimal setup considered in the literature, the mass and abundance of PBHs are correlated and astrophysical size PBHs tend to be overproduced. This is because a longer length scale for curvature perturbations (or a larger PBH mass) requires a longer waterfall regime with a flatter potential, which results in overproduction of curvature perturbations. However, in this paper, we discuss that the higher-dimensional terms for the inflaton potential affect the dynamics during the waterfall phase transition and show that astrophysical size PHBs of order $10^{17\text{–}23} \, {\rm g}$ (which can explain the whole dark matter) can form in some parameter space consistently with any existing constraints. The scenario can be tested by observing the induced gravitational waves from scalar perturbations by future gravitational wave experiments, such as LISA.

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Y. Tada and M. Yamada
Wed, 5 Apr 23
40/62

Comments: 13 pages, 8 figures

The dipolar death of massive gravity [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01252


We study extreme-mass-ratio systems in theories admitting the Schwarzschild solution and propagating a massive graviton. We show that, in addition to small corrections to the quadrupolar and higher-order modes, a dipolar mode is excited in these theories and we quantify its excitation. While LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observations are not expected to impose meaningful constraints in the dipolar sector, future observations by the Einstein Telescope or by LISA, together with bounds from dispersion relations, can rule out theories of massive gravity admitting vacuum General Relativistic backgrounds. For the bound to be circumvented, one needs to move away from Ricci-flat solutions, and enter a territory where constraints based on wave propagation and dispersion relations are not reliable.

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V. Cardoso, F. Duque, A. Maselli, et. al.
Wed, 5 Apr 23
48/62

Comments: 4 pages plus Supplemental Material

Cosmic Cousins: Identification of a Subpopulation of Binary Black Holes Consistent with Isolated Binary Evolution [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01288


Observations of gravitational waves (GWs) from merging compact binaries have become a regular occurrence. The continued advancement of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration detectors have now produced a catalog of over 90 such mergers, from which we can begin to uncover the formation history of merging compact binaries. In this work, we search for subpopulations in the LVK’s third gravitational wave transient catalog (GWTC-3) by incorporating discrete latent variables in the hierarchical Bayesian inference framework to probabilistically assign each BBH observation into separate categories associated with distinctly different population distributions. By incorporating formation channel knowledge within the mass and spin correlations found in each category, we find an over density of mergers with a primary mass of $\sim10 M_\odot$, consistent with isolated binary formation. This low-mass subpopulation has a spin magnitude distribution peaking at $a_\mathrm{peak}=0.16^{0.19}{-0.16}$, exhibits spins preferentially aligned with the binary’s orbital angular momentum, is constrained by $15^{+0.0}{-1.0}$ of our observations, and contributes $82\%^{+8.0\%}{-16\%}$ to the overall population of BBHs. Additionally, we find that the component of the mass distribution containing the previously identified $35M\odot$ peak has spins consistent with the $10M_\odot$ events, with $99\%$ of primary masses less than $m_{1,99\%} = 49^{+25}{-8.1} M\odot$, providing an estimate of the lower edge of the theorized pair instability mass gap. This work is a first step in gaining a deeper understanding of compact binary formation and evolution, and will provide more robust conclusions as the catalog of observations becomes larger.

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J. Godfrey, B. Edelman and B. Farr
Wed, 5 Apr 23
57/62

Comments: 14 pages, 6 figures, comments welcome

Primordial black hole collision with neutron stars and astrophysical black holes and the observational signatures [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00348


One of the candidates for the dark matter in the galactic halos is the low-mass Primordial Black holes (PBHs). They can gravitationally interact and collide with astrophysical objects such as neutron stars and astrophysical black holes.
The physical process such as accretion of matter and dynamical friction happens during the collision with neutron stars and gravitation wave emission during the collision with the astrophysical black holes. In this work, we investigate the rate of this collision, and the possibility of capturing PBHs within the neutron stars or the astrophysical black holes. Also, we investigate the observational consequences of this collision such as generating anomalies in the spinning period of neutron stars, formation of bond states, and detection of gravitational waves by future detectors.

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S. Rahvar
Tue, 4 Apr 23
17/111

Comments: 5 pages

Three approaches for the classification of protoneutron star oscillation modes [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00033


The future detection of gravitational waves (GWs) from a galactic core-collapse supernova will provide information on the physics inside protoneutron stars (PNS). In this work, we apply three different classification methods for the PNS non-radial oscillation modes: Cowling classification, Generalized Cowling Nomenclature (GCN), and a Classification Based on Modal Properties (CBMP). Using PNS models from $3$D simulations of core-collapse supernovae, we find that in the early stages of the PNS evolution, typically before $0.4$ seconds after the bounce, the Cowling classification is inconsistent, but the GCN and the CBMP provide complementary information that helps to understand the evolution of the modes. In the GCN, we note several avoided crossings as the mode frequencies evolve at early times, while the CBMP tracks the modes across the avoided crossings. We verify that the strongest emission of GWs by the PNS corresponds to the $f$-mode in the GCN, indicating that the mode trapping region alternates between the core and the envelope at each avoided crossing. At later times, approximately $0.4$ seconds after the bounce, the three classification methods present a similar description of the mode spectrum. We use our results to test universal relations for the PNS modes according to their classification and find that the behaviour of the universal relations for $f$- and $p$-modes is remarkably simple in the CBMP.

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M. Rodriguez, I. Ranea-Sandoval, C. Chirenti, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
24/111

Comments: 11 pages, 8 figures

Sensing Quantum Nature of Primordial Gravitational Waves Using Electromagnetic Probes [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2110.10962


Based on optical medium analogy, we establish a formalism to describe the interaction between an electromagnetic (EM) system with gravitational waves (GWs) background. After a full discussion on the classical treatment of the EM-GW interaction and finding the EM field mode-functions in the presence of the magneto-dielectric media caused by GWs, the governing quantum interaction Hamiltonian is obtained. Investigation of the optical quadrature variance as well as the visibility of a laser field interacting with the multi-mode squeezed primordial gravitational waves imply that the inflationary primordial gravitational waves (PGWs) act as a decoherence mechanism that destroy EM coherency after a characteristic time scale, $\tau_{c}$, which depends on the inflationary parameters $(\beta,\beta_s,r)$, or equivalently, the fractional energy density of PGWs, $\Omega_{gw,0}$. The decoherency mechanism overcomes the coherent effects, such as revivals of optical squeezing, thus leaving their confirmation out of reach. Influenced by the continuum of the squeezed PGWs, the laser field suffers a line-width broadening by $\gamma= \tau_{\text{c}}^{-1}$. The most peculiar property of the EM spectrum is the apparition of side bands at $\omega\sim \omega_0\pm 1.39 \tau_c^{-1}$Hz, stemming from the squeezed nature of PGWs. The laser phase noise induced by the squeezed PGWs grows with time squarely, $\Delta\phi=(t/\tau_c)^2$, that can most possibly be sensed within a finite flight time.

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F. Arani, M. Harouni, B. Lamine, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
33/111

Comments: 14 pages, 4 figures

Stochastic Multiple Fields Inflation: Diffusion Dominated Regime [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00577


We study multiple fields inflation in diffusion dominated regime using stochastic $\delta N$ formalism. The fields are under pure Brownian motion in a dS background with boundaries in higher dimensional field space. This setup can be realized towards the final stages of the ultra slow-roll setup where the classical drifts fall off exponentially and the perturbations are driven by quantum kicks. We consider both symmetric and asymmetric boundaries with absorbing and reflective boundary conditions and calculate the average number of e-folds, the first crossing probabilities and the power spectrum. We study the primordial black holes (PBHs) formation in this setup and calculate the mass fraction and the contribution of PBHs in dark matter energy density for various higher dimensional field spaces.

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K. Asadi, A. Nassiri-Rad and H. Firouzjahi
Tue, 4 Apr 23
34/111

Comments: 40 pages, 15 figures

Wave Mechanics, Interference, and Decoherence in Strong Gravitational Lensing [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01202


Wave-mechanical effects in gravitational lensing have long been predicted, and with the discovery of populations of compact transients such as gravitational wave events and fast radio bursts, may soon be observed. We present an observer’s review of the relevant theory underlying wave-mechanical effects in gravitational lensing. Starting from the curved-spacetime scalar wave equation, we derive the Fresnel-Kirchoff diffraction integral, and analyze it in the eikonal and wave optics regimes. We answer the question of what makes interference effects observable in some systems but not in others, and how interference effects allow for complementary information to be extracted from lensing systems as compared to traditional measurements. We end by discussing how diffraction effects affect optical depth forecasts and lensing near caustics, and how compact, low-frequency transients like gravitational waves and fast radio bursts provide promising paths to open up the frontier of interferometric gravitational lensing.

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C. Leung, D. Jow, P. Saha, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
43/111

Comments: Comments and suggestions for additional references welcome

Modified Newtonian Dynamics as an Alternative to the Planet Nine Hypothesis [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00576


A new class of Kuiper belt objects that lie beyond Neptune with semimajor axes greater than 250 astronomical units show orbital anomalies that have been interpreted as evidence for an undiscovered ninth planet. We show that a modified gravity theory known as MOND (Modified Newtonian Dynamics) provides an alternative explanation for the anomalies using the well-established secular approximation. We predict that the major axes of the orbits will be aligned with the direction towards the galactic center and that the orbits cluster in phase space, in agreement with observations of Kuiper belt objects from the new class. Thus MOND, which can explain galactic rotation without invoking dark matter, might also be observable in the outer solar system.

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K. Jones-Smith and H. Mathur
Tue, 4 Apr 23
46/111

Comments: Under review at the Astronomical Journal. Complementary to the findings of Migaszewski in arXiv:2303.13339

Topological densities in Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00322


The present work is devoted to studying the background dynamical evolution of a scalar field in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity in maximally symmetric space-time. This study is useful for giving meaning to the presence of two Gauss-Bonnet vacua, instead of using the spherically symmetric bubbles of the “true” vacuum expand in the “false” vacuum. The theory admits two possible effective cosmological constants, which lead to two maximally symmetric vacuum solutions. The first solution corresponds to the dynamics of dark energy. When there is matter, the second solution describes dark matter. In Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity, we establish the expression of the topological mass spectrum which depends on the golden ratio and its inverse. In the Schwarzschild limit, the topological density corresponds to the standard model radiation energy density. We find the mass loss rate which gives the evolution of mass over time.

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M. Bousder and Z. Sakhi
Tue, 4 Apr 23
96/111

Comments: 19 pages, 1 figure

A Long-Baseline Atom Interferometer at CERN: Conceptual Feasibility Study [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00614


We present results from exploratory studies, supported by the Physics Beyond Colliders (PBC) Study Group, of the suitability of a CERN site and its infrastructure for hosting a vertical atom interferometer (AI) with a baseline of about 100 m. We first review the scientific motivations for such an experiment to search for ultralight dark matter and measure gravitational waves, and then outline the general technical requirements for such an atom interferometer, using the AION-100 project as an example. We present a possible CERN site in the PX46 access shaft to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), including the motivations for this choice and a description of its infrastructure. We then assess its compliance with the technical requirements of such an experiment and what upgrades may be needed. We analyse issues related to the proximity of the LHC machine and its ancillary hardware and present a preliminary safety analysis and the required mitigation measures and infrastructure modifications. In conclusion, we identify primary cost drivers and describe constraints on the experimental installation and operation schedules arising from LHC operation. We find no technical obstacles: the CERN site is a very promising location for an AI experiment with a vertical baseline of about 100 m.

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G. Arduini, L. Badurina, K. Balazs, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
100/111

Comments: 51 pages, 39 figures, version with higher resolution figures available from this https URL

Detecting cosmic voids via maps of geometric-optics parameters [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00591


Curved-spacetime geometric-optics maps derived from a deep photometric survey should contain information about the three-dimensional matter distribution and thus about cosmic voids in the survey, despite projection effects. We explore to what degree sky-plane geometric-optics maps can reveal the presence of intrinsic three-dimensional voids. We carry out a cosmological $N$-body simulation and place it further than a gigaparsec from the observer, at redshift 0.5. We infer three-dimensional void structures using the watershed algorithm. Independently, we calculate a surface overdensity map and maps of weak gravitational lensing and geometric-optics scalars. We propose and implement a heuristic algorithm for detecting (projected) radial void profiles from these maps. We find in our simulation that given the sky-plane centres of the three-dimensional watershed-detected voids, there is significant evidence of correlated void centres in the surface overdensity $\Sigma$, the averaged weak-lensing tangential shear $\overline{\gamma_\perp}$, the Sachs expansion $\theta$, and the Sachs shear modulus $\lvert\sigma\rvert$. Recovering the centres of the three-dimensional voids from the sky-plane information alone is significant given the weak-lensing shear $\overline{\gamma_\perp}$, the Sachs expansion $\theta$, or the Sachs shear $\lvert\sigma\rvert$, but not significant for the surface overdensity $\Sigma$. Void radii are uncorrelated between three-dimensional and two-dimensional voids; our algorithm is not designed to distinguish voids that are nearly concentric in projection. This investigation shows preliminary evidence encouraging observational studies of gravitational lensing through individual voids, either blind or with spectroscopic/photometric redshifts. The former case – blind searches – should generate falsifiable predictions of intrinsic three-dimensional void centres.

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M. Peper, B. Roukema and K. Bolejko
Tue, 4 Apr 23
101/111

Comments: 14 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables, zenodo.7792910 at this https URL, archived git at this https URL, live git at this https URL

Spectroscopy of QUBRICS quasar candidates: 1672 new redshifts and a Golden Sample for the Sandage Test of the Redshift Drift [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00362


The QUBRICS (QUasars as BRIght beacons for Cosmology in the Southern hemisphere) survey aims at constructing a sample of the brightest quasars with z>~2.5, observable with facilities in the Southern Hemisphere. QUBRICS makes use of the available optical and IR wide-field surveys in the South and of Machine Learning techniques to produce thousands of bright quasar candidates of which only a few hundred have been confirmed with follow-up spectroscopy. Taking advantage of the recent Gaia Data Release 3, which contains 220 million low-resolution spectra, and of a newly developed spectral energy distribution fitting technique, designed to combine the photometric information with the Gaia spectroscopy, it has been possible to measure 1672 new secure redshifts of QUBRICS candidates, with a typical uncertainty $\sigma_z = 0.02$. This significant progress of QUBRICS brings it closer to (one of) its primary goals: providing a sample of bright quasars at redshift 2.5 < z < 5 to perform the Sandage test of the cosmological redshift drift. A Golden Sample of seven quasars is presented that makes it possible to carry out this experiment in about 1500 hours of observation in 25 years, using the ANDES spectrograph at the 39m ELT, a significant improvement with respect to previous estimates.

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S. Cristiani, M. Porru, F. Guarneri, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
111/111

Comments: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The cosmological constant is probably still zero [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17723


We consider a wide class of four-dimensional effective field theories in which gravity is coupled to multiple four-forms and their dual scalar fields, with membrane sources charged under the corresponding three-form potentials. Four-form flux, quantised in units of the membrane charges, generically generates a landscape of vacua with a range of values for the cosmological constant that is scanned through membrane nucleation. We list various ways in which the landscape can be made sufficiently dense to be compatible with observations of the current vacuum without running into the empty universe problem. Further, we establish the general criteria required to ensure the absolute stability of the Minkowski vacuum under membrane nucleation and the longevity of those vacua that are parametrically close by. This selects the current vacuum on probabilistic grounds and can even be applied in the classic model of Bousso and Polchinski, albeit with some mild violation of the membrane weak gravity conjecture. We present other models where the membrane weak gravity conjecture is not violated but where the same probabilistic methods can be used to tackle the cosmological constant problem.

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Y. Liu, A. Padilla and F. Pedro
Mon, 3 Apr 23
24/53

Comments: 29 pages

Neutrino cooled disk in post-merger system studied via numerical GR MHD simulation with a composition-dependent equation of state [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.18129


The code HARM_COOL, a conservative scheme for relativistic magnetohydrodynamics, is being developed in our group and works with a tabulated equation of state of dense matter. This EOS can be chosen and used during dynamical simulation, instead of the simple ideal gas one. In this case, the inversion scheme between the conserved and primitive variables is not a trivial task. In principle, the code needs to solve numerically five coupled non-linear equations at every time-step. The 5-D recovery schemes were originally implemented in HARM and worked accurately for a simple polytropic EOS which has an analytic form. Our current simulations support the composition-dependent EOS, formulated in terms of rest-mass density, temperature and electron fraction. In this proceeding, I discuss and compare several recovery schemes that have been included in our code. I also present and discuss their convergence tests. Finally, I show set of preliminary results of a numerical simulation, addressed to the post-merger system formed after the binary neutron stars (BNS) coalescence.

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A. Janiuk
Mon, 3 Apr 23
30/53

Comments: 9 pages, 3 figures. To appear in the Proceedings of the 8th Conference of the Polish Society for Relativity, POTOR-8 (Warsaw, September 19-23, 2022)

SEOBNRv5PHM: Next generation of accurate and efficient multipolar precessing-spin effective-one-body waveforms for binary black holes [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.18046


Spin precession is one of the key physical effects that could unveil the origin of the compact binaries detected by ground- and space-based gravitational-wave (GW) detectors, and shed light on their possible formation channels. Efficiently and accurately modeling the GW signals emitted by these systems is crucial to extract their properties. Here, we present SEOBNRv5PHM, a multipolar precessing-spin waveform model within the effective-one-body (EOB) formalism for the full signal (i.e. inspiral, merger and ringdown) of binary black holes (BBHs). In the non-precessing limit, the model reduces to SEOBNRv5HM, which is calibrated to $442$ numerical-relativity (NR) simulations, 13 waveforms from BH perturbation theory, and non-spinning energy flux from second-order gravitational self-force theory. We remark that SEOBNRv5PHM is not calibrated to precessing-spin NR waveforms from the Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes Collaboration. We validate SEOBNRv5PHM by computing the unfaithfulness against 1543 precessing-spin NR waveforms, and find that for 99.8% (84.4%) of the cases, the maximum value, in the total mass range 20-300 $M_\odot$, is below 3% (1%). These numbers reduce to 95.3% (60.8%) when using the previous version of the SEOBNR family, SEOBNRv4PHM, and to 78.2% (38.3%) when using the state-of-the-art frequency-domain multipolar precessing-spin phenomenological IMRPhenomXPHM model. Due to much better computational efficiency of SEOBNRv5PHM compared to SEOBNRv4PHM, we are also able to perform extensive Bayesian parameter estimation on synthetic signals and GW events observed by LIGO-Virgo detectors. We show that SEOBNRv5PHM can be used as a standard tool for inference analyses to extract astrophysical and cosmological information of large catalogues of BBHs.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Ramos-Buades, A. Buonanno, H. Estellés, et. al.
Mon, 3 Apr 23
33/53

Comments: N/A

Inflationary gravitational wave background as a tail effect [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17985


The free propagator of a massless mode in an expanding universe can be written as a sum of two terms, a lightcone and a tail part. The latter describes a subluminal (time-like) signal. We show that the inflationary gravitational wave background, influencing cosmic microwave background polarization, and routinely used for constraining inflationary models through the so-called $r$ ratio, originates exclusively from the tail part.

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N. Jokela, K. Kajantie, M. Laine, et. al.
Mon, 3 Apr 23
34/53

Comments: 8 pages

What can a detected photon with a given gravitational redshift tell us about the maximum density of a compact star? [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17630


Far away observers can in principle bound from below the dimensionless maximum-density parameter $\Lambda\equiv4\pi R^2\rho_{\text{max}}$ of a compact star by measuring the gravitational redshift factor $z\equiv\nu_{\text{e}}/\nu_{\infty}-1$ of photons that were emitted from the {\it surface} of the star: $\Lambda\geq{3\over2}[1-(1+z)^{-2}]$ [here $R$ is the radius of the star and ${\nu_{\text{e}},\nu_{\infty}}$ are respectively the frequency of the emitted light as measured at the location of the emission and by asymptotic observers]. However, if photons that were created somewhere {\it inside} the star can make their way out and reach the asymptotic observers, then the measured redshift parameter $z$ may not determine uniquely the surface properties of the star, thus making the above bound unreliable. In the present compact paper we prove that in these cases, in which the creation depth of a detected photon is not known to the far away observers, the empirically measured redshift parameter can still be used to set a (weaker) lower bound on the dimensionless density parameter of the observed star: $\Lambda\geq{3\over2}[1-(1+z)^{-2/3}]$.

Read this paper on arXiv…

S. Hod
Mon, 3 Apr 23
50/53

Comments: 5 pages

ChatGPT scores a bad birdie in counting gravitational-wave chirps [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17628


How many gravitational-wave observations from compact object mergers have we seen to date? This seemingly simple question has a surprisingly complex answer that even ChatGPT struggles to answer. To shed light on this, we present a database with the literature’s answers to this question. We find values spanning 67-100 for the number of detections from double compact object mergers to date, emphasizing that the exact number of detections is uncertain and depends on the chosen data analysis pipeline and underlying assumptions. We also review the number of gravitational-wave detections expected in the coming decades with future observing runs, finding values up to millions of detections per year in the era of Cosmic Explorer and Einstein Telescope. We present a publicly available code to visualize the detection numbers, highlighting the exponential growth in gravitational-wave observations in the coming decades and the exciting prospects of gravitational-wave astrophysics. See this http URL We plan to keep this database up-to-date and welcome comments and suggestions for additional references.

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F. Broekgaarden
Mon, 3 Apr 23
52/53

Comments: 1 April submission, with fun videos for visualizing the landscape of gravitational waves! (they are awesome!) See this http URL

Electromagnetic fields in compact binaries: a post-Newtonian approach [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17536


Galactic binaries, and notably double white dwarfs systems, will be a prominent source for the future LISA and Einstein Telescope detectors. Contrarily to the black holes observed by the current LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA network, such objects bear intense magnetic fields, that are naturally expected to leave some imprints on the gravitational wave emission. The purpose of this work is thus to study those imprints within the post-Newtonian (PN) framework, particularly adapted to double white dwarfs systems. To this end, we construct an effective action that takes into account the whole electromagnetic structure of a star, and then specify it to dipolar order. With this action at hand, we compute the acceleration and Noetherian quantities for generic electric and magnetic dipoles, at a relative 2PN order. Finally, focusing on physically relevant systems, we show that the magnetic effects on the orbital frequency, energy and angular momentum is significant, confirming previous works conclusions.

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Q. Henry, F. Larrouturou and C. Poncin-Lafitte
Fri, 31 Mar 23
11/70

Comments: 23 pages, no figure, supplementary material attached

Constraining ultralight dark matter using the Fermi-LAT Pulsar Timing Array [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17545


Ultralight dark matter (ULDM) is proposed as a theoretical candidate of dark matter particles with masses of approximately $10^{-22}$ eV. The interactions between ULDM particles and standard model particles would cause variations in pulse arrival times of the pulsars, which makes the pulsar timing array (PTA) can be used to indirectly detect ULDM. In this work, we use the gamma-ray PTA composed of 29 millisecond pulsars observed by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) to test four ultralight dark matter effects, including gravitational effects for generalized ULDM with different Spin-0/1, the fifth-force coupling effect of Dark Photon and the modified gravitational effect of the Spin-2 ULDM. The gamma-ray pulsar timing is not affected by the ionized interstellar medium and suffers relatively simple noises, unlike that of the radio band. No significant signals of ULDM are found based on the Fermi-LAT PTA for all four kinds of ULDM models. Constraints on ULDM parameters are set with the 95% confidence level, which provides a complementary check of the non-detection of ULDM for radio PTAs and direct detection experiments.

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Z. Xia, T. Tang, X. Huang, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
12/70

Comments: 9 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables

Reference frames in General Relativity and the galactic rotation curves [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17516


The physical interpretation of the exact solutions of the Einstein field equations is, in general, a challenging task, part of the difficulties lying in the significance of the coordinate system. We discuss the extension of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) reference system to the exact theory. It is seen that such an extension, retaining some of its crucial properties, can be achieved in a special class of spacetimes, admitting non-shearing congruences of observers which, at infinity, have zero vorticity and acceleration. As applications, we consider the FLRW, Kerr and NUT spacetimes, the van Stockum rotating dust cylinder, spinning cosmic strings and, finally, we debunk the so-called Balasin-Grumiller (BG) model, and the claims that the galaxies’ rotation curves can be explained through gravitomagnetic effects without the need for Dark Matter. The BG spacetime is shown to be completely inappropriate as a galactic model: its dust is actually static with respect to the asymptotic inertial frame, its gravitomagnetic effects arise from unphysical singularities along the axis (a pair of NUT rods, combined with a spinning cosmic string), and the rotation curves obtained are merely down to an invalid choice of reference frame — the congruence of zero angular momentum observers, which are being dragged by the singularities.

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L. Costa, J. Natário, F. Frutos-Alfaro, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
14/70

Comments: 29 pages, 10 figures

Theoretical and Experimental Constraints for the Equation of State of Dense and Hot Matter [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17021


This review aims at providing an extensive discussion of modern constraints relevant for dense and hot strongly interacting matter. It includes theoretical first-principle results from lattice and perturbative QCD, as well as chiral effective field theory results. From the experimental side, it includes heavy-ion collision and low-energy nuclear physics results, as well as observations from neutron stars and their mergers. The validity of different constraints, concerning specific conditions and ranges of applicability, is also provided.

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R. Kumar, V. Dexheimer, J. Jahan, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
20/70

Comments: N/A