arXiv subjects

Elena Colangeli

Publications and source records attributed to Elena Colangeli.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

CosmoPyro: Gradients for Gravitational-Wave Cosmology

Gravitational-wave (GW) observations of stellar-mass compact binary coalescences directly measure the source luminosity distance. Combined with the source redshift, these measurements constrain the current expansion rate of the Universe, the Hubble constant, $H_0$, or $h=H_0 / [100 \,{\rm km \,s^{-1} \, Mpc^{-1}}]$. For most GW signals no electromagnetic redshift measurement is expected, but the GW signal itself depends on the redshifted (detector-frame) masses. Assuming a source-frame mass distribution therefore enables a redshift estimate for each source. Combining the redshift estimates with the distance measurements provides a weak constraint on $H_0$ for each individual source that tightens with the number of sources in the catalog. However, the shape of the source-frame mass distribution is not known a priori, and previous work has relied on parametric models (piecewise power-laws with Gaussian components), and one-dimensional Gaussian processes. Here, we introduce CosmoPyro, a fully differentiable hierarchical Bayesian inference code that models the mass distribution using either one- or two-dimensional Gaussian processes. With the latest GW transient catalog (GWTC-5) we find $h = 0.66^{+0.17}_{-0.20}$ and $h = 0.57^{+0.20}_{-0.15}$ (median with $1\sigma$ uncertainty), for the one- and two-dimensional case, respectively. Despite the noticeably different inferred mass distributions, both models yield $H_0$ values consistent with the latest LVK measurements within $1 \sigma$. While our main results marginalize over the Gaussian-process power-spectrum hyperparameters, the measurement is also robust against fixing these hyperparameters over a range comparable to their measured uncertainty.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2026

No parametrisation, No Problem: A Weakly Modelled Framework to Constrain the Luminosity Distance--Redshift Relation Using Gravitational Wave Sirens

Cosmological tests of general relativity (GR) using gravitational waves (GWs) often rely on parametrised forms of the luminosity distance-redshift ($ d_{\rm L} - z$) relation, which is modified in alternative theories of gravity where the gravitational coupling strength is time-dependent. Although they can lead to stringent results, these parametrisations encapsulate a restricted range of behaviours that may not represent the full variety of modified gravity theories. We present a quasi-model-independent framework to reconstruct deviations from GR in the ratio of the GW to standard electromagnetic luminosity distance. We find that our method can confidently constrain monotonic, irregular, and oscillatory features in the ratio, without biasing population distribution parameters. Applying our framework to GWTC-5 data, we find no deviations from GR. We report that O5-like GW data will not resolve deviations from GR smaller than 30% with our method; however, third generation GW detectors can confidently detect deviations of order 5% to 3$\sigma$ significance.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Multi-messenger lensing time delay as a probe of the graviton mass

Gravitational lensing is a powerful probe of cosmology and astrophysics. With the prospect of the first strongly lensed gravitational waves on the horizon, we highlight an opportunity to test fundamental physics. In this work, we assume a nonzero mass for the graviton, which leads to gravitational waves following timelike geodesics instead of null geodesics. We derive standard gravitational lensing equations, such as the scattering angle, the time-delay between different images and the magnification, which normally rely on the assumption of null geodesics. We show that a single strongly lensed multi-messenger event is enough to constrain the graviton mass to $m< 3 \cdot 10^{-23}$ eV/c$^{2}$. Notably this constraint is independent of the lens model, the waveform model, and of cosmology. Additionally, we explore magnification of images and find that they offer at least three orders of magnitude weaker bounds than the time delay, and have a dependence on the correct modeling of the lens and cosmology.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Multi-messenger Gravitational Lensing

We introduce the rapidly emerging field of multi-messenger gravitational lensing - the discovery and science of gravitationally lensed phenomena in the distant universe through the combination of multiple messengers. This is framed by gravitational lensing phenomenology that has grown since the first discoveries in the 20th century, messengers that span 30 orders of magnitude in energy from high energy neutrinos to gravitational waves, and powerful "survey facilities" that are capable of continually scanning the sky for transient and variable sources. Within this context, the main focus is on discoveries and science that are feasible in the next 5-10 years with current and imminent technology including the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA network of gravitational wave detectors, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, and contemporaneous gamma/X-ray satellites and radio surveys. The scientific impact of even one multi-messenger gravitational lensing discovery will be transformational and reach across fundamental physics, cosmology and astrophysics. We describe these scientific opportunities and the key challenges along the path to achieving them. This article is the introduction to the Theme Issue of the Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society A on the topic of Multi-messenger Gravitational Lensing, and describes the consensus that emerged at the associated Theo Murphy Discussion Meeting in March 2024.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

A Bright Future? Prospects for Cosmological Tests of GR with Multimessenger Gravitational Wave Events

Further bright sirens - gravitational wave events with electromagnetic counterparts - are keenly awaited, but proving elusive. The exceptional event GW170817 had a profound impact on the landscape of viable cosmological extensions of General Relativity (GR); can we expect this kind of shift to be repeated in the next decade? In this work we will assess the potential constraints from bright sirens in the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA O5 era and third generation detector era. We set up the statistical formalism for our constraints, and generate and analyse simulated data in the context of general scalar-tensor theories. We highlight the important role that gamma-ray burst detection has in breaking key parameter degeneracies. We find that the next ten bright sirens alone will not competitively constrain cosmological gravity, but that one year of third generation observations could confidently detect mild departures from GR, e.g. the Horndeski parameter $\alpha_{\rm M}\neq 0$ is detected at greater than $3\sigma$. This justifies investment in a broad range of methods for gravitational wave cosmology (dark sirens, bright sirens and cross-correlation with large-scale structure) to ensure tests of cosmological gravity advance in both the short-term and the long-term.

gr-qc↗