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arXiv · 2301.02267

Identifying modified theories of gravity using binary black-hole ringdowns

Costantino Pacilio·Swetha Bhagwat
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Abstract

Black-hole spectroscopy, that is, measuring the characteristic frequencies and damping times of different modes in a black-hole ringdown, is a powerful probe for testing deviations from the general theory of relativity (GR). In this work, we present a comprehensive study on its ability to identify deviations from the spectrum of a Kerr black hole in GR. Specifically, we investigate the performance of black hole spectroscopy on a diverse set of theoretically motivated as well as phenomenologically modified spectra. We find that while the signal-to-noise ratio $\rho_{\rm RD}$ in the ringdown required to identify a modification to the GR Kerr black hole spectrum depends on the details of the modifications, a modification that introduces $\sim 1 \%$ shift in the fundamental mode frequencies can typically be distinguished with $\rho_{\rm RD} \in [150,500]$. This range of $\rho_{\rm RD}$ is feasible with the next-generation detectors, showing a promising science case for black hole spectroscopy.

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Costantino Pacilio, Swetha Bhagwat. 2023-01-05. Identifying modified theories of gravity using binary black-hole ringdowns. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.107.083021

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