Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

Miguel Zumalacárregui

Publications and source records attributed to Miguel Zumalacárregui.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Binary-lens amplification of starlight: from magnification flares to quasi-periodic tracking of orbital evolution

Supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHB) are expected at the center of galaxies as a result of galaxy mergers. The dynamics and evolution of SMBHBs shed light on the evolution and formation of galaxies, the gravitational wave background and the nature of gravity. Many methods have been proposed to identify sub-parsec SMBHBs via the detection of gravitational waves or the modulation of the emission from the surrounding gaseous environment. In a previous study, we proposed a new method of identifying SMBHBs in non-active galactic nuclei via gravitational lensing. The caustics, i.e. the source positions with a divergent magnification, exhibit a complex extended geometry which rotates with the binary period. Each caustic-crossing produces an extreme magnification by up to a factor of $10^{6}$. In this work, we generalize the previous study and describe the rich phenomenology of binary-lens amplification of starlight (BLAST). We explore the electromagnetic transients produced when accounting for the relative proper motion of the source, either a single or a binary star, the eccentricity and precession of the SMBHB, and the relative inclination. Systems where a star rapidly drifts across the caustic produce a single- or double-peaked flare. In the opposite limit, a star with no relative proper motion produces quasi-periodic lensed starlight (QPLS), i.e., repeated peaks that track the system's orbital evolution. We determine the expected magnification and peak duration in different circumstances, and calculate the magnification curves and their Fourier transforms. This study may help construct search pipelines to identify SMBHBs in electromagnetic time-domain surveys.

astro-ph.GA↗

Effective description of lensed gravitational waves diffracted by stellar fields

As natural telescopes, Gravitational lenses enable the observation of sources that would otherwise be too distant and faint. Stellar-mass objects, or microlenses, act as impurities in the lens, producing subtle distortions of the source. These effects are necessary to correctly interpret observations, and may in some cases be themselves evidence of gravitational magnification. Gravitational waves (GWs) observed by ground detectors and magnified by galaxies and clusters will undergo microlensing by fields of stars and remnants: describing these systems requires not only considering a large number of small-scale lenses (microlenses), but also including wave-optics effects, leading to frequency-dependent modulations of the signal. Here we present novel models for Reduced-Order Stochastic Diffraction (ROSD), which overcome these challenges in the search for GW lensing signatures: an effective description is synthesized from numerical simulations of wave-optics lensing by stellar fields via a singular value decomposition. The procedure yields an optimized orthonormal basis to describe microlensing distortions -- capturing the dominant "tones" of the stellar field, or stellar timbre -- and a probability density function for the coefficients, which can be used as priors or to verify the consistency with stellar-field lensing. We present SVD-stellar-I5-aLIGO as an example of this model category, discuss the role of truncation order and demonstrate how it can be applied to GW data via injection and recovery in Bayesian parameter estimation. ROSD can be tailored to account for detector sensitivity and the type of source under analysis, and extended to different microlens populations and external potentials. ROSD models open a new window to probe small-scale objects (stars, remnants and potentially dark matter) and facilitate the discovery of the most distant compact binary mergers.

astro-ph.HE↗

Gravitational lensing of gravitational waves by galaxy clusters

Strongly lensed gravitational waves (GWs) are commonly searched for using population priors, including time-delay and magnification-ratio distributions, to suppress false alarms. Current LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA (LVK) searches mainly adopt priors calibrated with galaxy-scale lenses; however, these may penalize the longer time delays produced by galaxy clusters, which could contribute 10%--20% of lensed events. Cluster member galaxies may also perturb the macro-lens potential and alter image magnifications. We investigate the time-delay and magnification-ratio distributions of binary black hole GWs lensed by galaxy clusters, together with microlensing systematics. In the full lensed sample, the median time delay is about 76 days for cluster lenses, compared with 6.9 days for galaxy lenses. After imposing an SNR threshold of $ρ>8$ at LVK O4 sensitivity, the medians are 15.4 and 0.24 days. The detected cluster sample retains a long-delay tail, with 9.1% of image pairs delayed by more than 365 days and 3.3% by more than 1000 days, so galaxy-based time-delay priors can suppress cluster-lensed pairs. By contrast, although cluster member galaxies broaden the magnification-ratio distribution of the full cluster sample, the detected cluster- and galaxy-lensing samples are very similar at O4 sensitivity, suggesting little bias in candidate selection. Cluster lenses also generally produce weak microlensing distortions: only about 0.8% of single-image mismatches exceed ${\cal M}=0.03$, while 4.8% exceed the parameter-estimation threshold $1.35/ρ^2$. Thus, microlensing is subdominant for most cluster-lensed events, mainly because images often form far from the brightest cluster galaxy, where the stellar density is low and dominated by intracluster light, although nearby satellites can locally enhance it. These results motivate a dedicated cluster-lensing pipeline for GW lensing searches.

astro-ph.GA↗

Lens Stochastic Diffraction: A Signature of Compact Objects in Gravitational-Wave Data

Every signal propagating through the universe is diffracted by the gravitational field of intervening objects, known as gravitational lenses. Diffraction is most efficient when caused by compact objects, which form additional images of any source. Although secondary images are typically too weak to stand out in the noise, they can be detected collectively using gravitational waves (GWs) by leveraging 1) knowledge of the primary signal and 2) scaling of the signal's strength with the angular offset. The ensemble of secondary signals constitutes \textit{lens stochastic diffraction} (LSD): correlated Poisson-distributed fluctuations following a GW event due to intervening compact objects. The amplitude and temporal distribution of these signals encode the abundance of the lenses, their mass spectrum and their density profiles. By including all secondary signals over all resolved GW events, LSD offers an improvement of ${\sim}2.5$ orders of magnitude over the identification of individual lensed images, for objects with mass $M_l\gtrsim 10^3 M_\odot$ and size $\lesssim 1{\rm pc}(M_l/10^4M_\odot)^{1/2}$. The framework generalizes to wave optics, where halos too diffuse to form images imprint localized features on the waveform. Developing data-analysis techniques will allow LSD to probe compact dark-matter halos and allow next-generation instruments to detect supermassive black holes, given the abundance expected from quasar luminosity studies.

gr-qc↗

GUEST: Gravitational Universe Exploration with Satellite Tracking. A passive satellite laser-ranging mission for the dark gravitational Universe

GUEST is a space mission concept whose central objective is the detection of gravitational waves (GWs) in the microhertz band -- a physics-rich frequency window that no other present or planned detector can reach at a significant level. The concept is simple: two dense, passive spheres, covered with cube-corner retroreflectors, deployed in {highly eccentric} Earth orbits ($e \gtrsim 0.7$, period $P \gtrsim 33$ h), tracked continuously by the global network of satellite laser-ranging stations over a minimum observation time of 10 years, with an expected total duration of 30 years. The orbits themselves act as resonant detectors of the oscillating gravitational perturbations, with the microhertz sensitivity emerging from the selected orbital parameters. From the same data stream, GUEST delivers a programme of fundamental and applied science that cuts across particle physics, gravitational-wave astronomy, cosmology, astrophysics, and geodesy: the first coherent search for GWs from supermassive black-hole binaries in the $μ$Hz band, the exploration of primordial GW backgrounds in the unexplored energy-scale gap between pulsar-timing arrays and LISA, a dedicated probe of ultra-light dark matter in a parameter region untouched by any other experiment, a new way to search for ultra-light bosons, order-of-magnitude-improved tests of new gravitational interactions at astronomical ranges, and a step change in the absolute determination of $GM_\oplus$ that underpins the Global Geodetic Observing System and future navigation and Earth-observation missions. This white paper presents the motivation, scientific reach, and mission concept of GUEST.

astro-ph.CO↗

Signatures of $10-10^4\,{\rm M}_{\odot}$ Dark Matter halos in LISA via Stochastic Diffraction

Cold Dark Matter predicts a population of low-mass halos which are sensitive to its fundamental nature and the primordial power spectrum, yet remain undetected. Although elusive, their discovery may be possible thanks to wave-optics lensing of gravitational waves (GWs) by the superposition of many halos along the line of sight. We study the statistical properties of stochastic diffractive lensing, which imprints correlated fluctuations on the amplitude and phase of the original waveform. The stochastic distortions can be described by an orthogonal basis that captures the dominant ''tones'' associated with the dark matter properties, or dark timbre, which is not degenerate with binary source parameters. LISA is most sensitive to halos of $O(10\text{--}10^4\,M_\odot)$, and because the imprint recurs in every source, stacking $\sim(50,500)$ loud binaries could confirm them at the $(2,5)σ$ level ($\sim0.2$ to $\gtrsim4σ$ for realistic merger rates and different concentration estimations). The per-event signal is only $O(10^{-3})$ in cold dark matter, demanding major advances in waveform accuracy and data analysis. Even short of that reach, stochastic diffraction places stringent bounds on models that enhance small-scale structure, such as axion miniclusters and primordial black holes.

astro-ph.CO↗

Accelerated inference of microlensed gravitational waves with machine learning

Gravitational waves (GWs) within the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA sensitivity band can be microlensed by stellar and intermediate-mass black holes, producing a frequency-dependent modulation of the signal amplitude. Microlensing analyses, however, are costly due to the increased dimensionality of the parameter space and waveform computation time. As a proof of concept, we show that the deep-learning-based framework Deep Inference for Gravitational-Wave Observations (DINGO), which employs a simulation-based inference approach to estimate posterior distributions, can perform efficient parameter inference for GW microlensing by an isolated point-mass lens. Using simulated microlensed GW signals, we train a lensed-DINGO network and compare its performance with traditional Bayesian parameter estimation carried out with Bilby. Our framework can be used to rapidly identify microlensed events in large GW catalogs. When the lensed-DINGO network is combined with importance sampling, we find that although sample efficiencies are somewhat reduced compared to the unlensed-DINGO network, owing to the richer structure of microlensed signals, it still achieves $\mathcal{O}(10\times)$ speed-up relative to Bilby. We further show that this framework is useful to efficiently estimate the background Bayes-factor distribution, which is crucial for assessing the significance of candidate lensed events. However, for foreground (lensed) events, the sampling efficiency can sometimes drop when analysed with the unlensed-DINGO network, providing a diagnostic indicator of out-of-distribution data. Our approach can be straightforwardly generalised to more complex and realistic lens models, enabling detailed studies of microlensed GWs.

astro-ph.CO↗

cloelib: A Flexible Python Library for Computing Cosmological Observables in the Euclid Era

cloelib is a Python library developed to compute cosmological observables within the Cosmology Likelihood for Observables in Euclid (CLOE) ecosystem (cloe-org). As cosmology enters a precision era driven by galaxy survey missions such as Euclid, there is a growing need for flexible, efficient, and differentiable software capable of supporting next-generation inference pipelines. cloelib addresses these demands through a modular architecture that interfaces seamlessly with established Boltzmann solvers whilst incorporating JAX-based automatic differentiation to enable gradient-based methods. The library defines consistent protocols for background evolution, perturbations, and non-linear structure formation, and supports a wide range of observables, including photometric and spectroscopic large-scale structure probes, as well as cross-correlations with the Cosmic Microwave Background and galaxy clusters. In its finalised form, cloelib is intended to serve as the reference theory computation infrastructure for Euclid's first cosmological release, bridging traditional numerical cosmology with modern optimisation techniques and emerging machine learning approaches to inference.

astro-ph.CO↗

Black holes as telescopes: Discovering supermassive binaries through quasi-periodic lensed starlight

Supermassive black hole (SMBH) binary systems are unavoidable outcomes of galaxy mergers. Their dynamics encode information about their formation and growth, the composition of their host galactic nuclei, the evolution of galaxies, and the nature of gravity. Many SMBH binaries with separations pc-kpc have been found, but closer (sub-parsec) binaries remain to be confirmed. Identifying these systems may elucidate how binaries evolve past the ``final parsec'' until gravitational radiation drives them to coalescence. Here we show that SMBH binaries in non-active galactic nuclei can be identified and characterized by the gravitational lensing of individual bright stars, located behind them in the host galaxy. The rotation of `caustics' -- regions where sources are hugely magnified due to the SMBH binary's orbit and inspiral -- leads to Quasi-Periodic Lensing of Starlight (QPLS). The extreme lensing magnification of individual bright stars produces a significant variation in the host galaxies' luminosity; their lightcurve traces the orbit of the SMBH binary and its evolution. QPLS probes the population of sources observable by pulsar timing arrays and space detectors (LISA, TianQin), offering advance warning triggers for merging SMBHs for coincident or follow-up GW detections. SMBH population models predict $1-50\; [190-5,000] \left({n_\star}/{\rm pc}^{-3}\right)$ QPLS binaries with period less than $10\; [40]$ yr with comparable masses and $z<0.3$, where $n_\star$ is the stellar number density. Additionally, stellar and orbital motion will lead to frequent instances of single/double flares caused by SMBHBs with longer periods. This novel signature can be searched for in a wealth of existing and upcoming time-domain photometric data: identifying quasi-periodic variability in galactic lightcurves will reveal an ensemble of binary systems and illuminate outstanding questions around them.

astro-ph.GA↗

Gravitational-wave dispersion over inhomogeneous space-times: General relativity, screened theories of gravity and non-minimal dark energy

Gravitational waves (GWs) are direct probes of cosmological gravity, sensitive to space-time inhomogeneities along their propagation. The presence of massive objects breaks homogeneity and isotropy, allowing for new interactions between different GW polarizations, and opening up the intriguing opportunity to test modified gravity theories. This setup generalizes the notion of gravitational deflection and lensing, revealing novel phenomena in modified theories. Any non-minimal theory introduces effective mass terms for GWs, causing \textit{lens-induced dispersion} (LID), a frequency-dependent phase shift on the waveform. We compute GW dispersion in Einstein's general relativity (GR) for a spherical matter distribution, finding a small but non-zero phasing that is potentially accessible to next-generation detectors. We then extend our analysis to scalar-tensor theories, focusing on symmetron gravity as an example of screened theory, combining cosmological deviations and consistency with local gravity tests. We find enhanced GW dispersion in a large region of the symmetron parameter space, compared to both GR and Brans-Dicke theory. We argue that dispersion, associated to an effective mass for the metric fluctuations, can in some cases prevent the propagation of GWs through some astrophysical bodies, turning them into reflectors. Our analysis shows that the Earth becomes an efficient GW shield for a hitherto unconstrained region of the symmetron parameter space, leading to a $\sim 50\%$ fraction of events becoming unobservable or at least displaying a dramatic modification of the detector antenna response. The richness and universality of dispersive phenomena in non-minimal theories open a new avenue to test theories of dynamical dark-energy, relevant in light of recent observational results challenging the $Λ$CDM paradigm.

gr-qc↗

Dark Matter Subhalos and Higher Order Catastrophes in Gravitational Wave Lensing

Gravitational lensing is an invaluable probe of the nature of dark matter, and the structures it forms. Lensed gravitational waves in particular allow for unparalleled sensitivity to small scale structures within the lenses, due to the precise time resolution in combination with the continuous monitoring of the entire sky. In this work, we show two distinct ways of using strongly lensed gravitational waves to identify the presence of dark matter subhalos: \emph{i)} through higher order caustics generating high relative magnification ($μ_r > 2$), short time delay image pairs that break the caustic universality relations of single dark matter halos, which occur for $\sim 1-10$ percent of strongly lensed events in our cold dark matter models, and \emph{ii)} through the presence of more than three highly magnified images, which occur for $\sim 0.01-1$ percent of the same simulated events. We find that these results are highly sensitive to the concentrations of subhalos in our simulations, and more mildly to their number densities. The presence of low-mass subhalos increases the probability of observing wave-optics lensing in lensed gravitational waves, which is studied by solving the diffraction integral with the stationary phase approximation, as well as numerically. We also report distinct quantitative and qualitative differences in the distributions of relative magnifications and time delays for subhalo populations with increased number densities or concentrations. With the upcoming detection of strongly lensed events by ground- and space- based detectors, comparisons against these simulated distributions will provide insight into the nature of dark matter.

astro-ph.CO↗

Eikonal gravitational-wave lensing in Einstein-aether theory

Einstein-aether theory provides a model to test the validity of local Lorentz invariance in gravitational interactions. The speed of gravitational waves as measured from the binary neutron star event GW170817 sets stringent limits on Einstein-aether theory, but only on a combination of the theory's free parameters. For this reason, a significant part of the theory's parameter space remains unconstrained by observations. Motivated by this, we explore the propagation of gravitational waves in Einstein-aether theory over an inhomogeneous background (i.e., gravitational wave lensing) as a potential mechanism to break the degeneracies between the theory's free parameters, and hence enable new constraints on the theory to be obtained. We reduce our analysis to gravitational waves that pass far from the lens' center and short wavelength signals, both compared to the lens' gravitational radius (eikonal limit). By applying these approximations and bringing the field equations into the form of the so-called kinetic matrix and applying a formalism known as the propagation eigenstate framework, we find that the speed of gravitational waves is modified by inhomogeneities in the aether field. However, the modification is common to both gravitational polarizations and vanishes in the limit in which gravitational waves propagate with luminal speed. This lens-dependent gravitational wave speed contrasts with the lens-induced birefringence observed in other theories beyond general relativity, like Horndeski's theory. While the potential to improve tests based on gravitational-wave speed is limited, our formalism sets the basis to fully describe signal propagation over inhomogeneous spacetimes in Einstein-aether theory and other extensions of general relativity.

gr-qc↗

Gravitational wave lensing: probing Fuzzy Dark Matter with LISA

Gravitational lensing is a universal phenomenon: it affects both gravitational waves (GWs) and electromagnetic signals travelling through the gravitational field of a massive object. In this work, we explore the prospects of observing lensed GW signals from the mergers of massive black holes, lensed by dark matter halos composed of Fuzzy Dark Matter (FDM), which form dense cores known as solitons. We focus on wave optics phenomena, where frequency-dependent signatures can be observed in the weak lensing regime (i.e. single-image). Our results show that lensing diffraction signatures differ for low-mass halos in FDM, and can reveal the presence of a solitonic core. Furthermore, we demonstrate that FDM and cold dark matter profiles can be distinguished in GW signals from binary massive black hole mergers, which will be observed by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. However, the dense solitonic core does not substantially enhance the detectability of FDM halos at large source-lens offsets, relative to standard cold dark matter. Our analysis confirms FDM halos as a promising signature of dark matter on GW observations.

astro-ph.CO↗

Gravitational wave propagation beyond General Relativity: geometric optic expansion and lens-induced dispersion

The nature of gravity can be tested by how gravitational waves (GWs) are emitted, detected, and propagate through the universe. Propagation tests are powerful, as small deviations compound over cosmological distances. However, GW propagation tests of theories beyond Einstein's general relativity (GR) are limited by the high degree of symmetry of the average cosmological spacetime. Deviations from homogeneity, i.e. gravitational lenses, allow for new interactions, e.g., between standard GW polarization and new scalar or vector fields, with different spin. Therefore, GW lensing beyond GR offers novel tests of cosmological gravity. Here we present the theory of GW propagation beyond GR in the short-wave expansion, including corrections to the leading-order amplitude and phase for the first time. As an example, we compute the dispersive (frequency-dependent) corrections to all metric and scalar field perturbations in Brans-Dicke, the simplest modified theory exhibiting GW dispersion. GW lensing effects are too small to observe in Brans-Dicke theories compatible with solar system and binary pulsar limits. Nevertheless, our formalism opens the possibility of novel tests of gravity, including dark-energy theories and screening mechanisms.

gr-qc↗

Probing general relativistic spin-orbit coupling with gravitational waves from hierarchical triple systems

Wave packets propagating in inhomogeneous media experience a coupling between internal and external degrees of freedom and, as a consequence, follow spin-dependent trajectories. These phenomena, well known in optics and condensed matter physics, are referred to as spin Hall effects. Similarly, the gravitational spin Hall effect is expected to affect the propagation of gravitational waves on curved spacetimes. In this general-relativistic setup, the curvature of spacetime acts as impurities in a semiconductor or inhomogeneities in an optical medium, leading to a frequency- and polarization-dependent propagation of wave packets. In this letter, we study this effect for strong-field lensed gravitational waves generated in hierarchical triple black hole systems in which a stellar-mass binary merges near a more massive black hole. We calculate how the gravitational spin Hall effect modifies the gravitational waveforms and show its potential for experimental observation. If detected, these effects will have profound implications for astrophysics and tests of general relativity.

gr-qc↗

GLoW: novel methods for wave-optics phenomena in gravitational lensing

Wave-optics phenomena in gravitational lensing occur when the signal's wavelength is commensurate to the gravitational radius of the lens. Although potentially detectable in lensed gravitational waves, fast radio bursts and pulsars, accurate numerical predictions are challenging to compute. Here we present novel methods for wave-optics lensing that allow the treatment of general lenses. In addition to a general algorithm, specialized methods optimize symmetric lenses (arbitrary number of images) and generic lenses in the single-image regime. We also develop approximations for simple lenses (point-like and singular isothermal sphere) that drastically outperform known solutions without compromising accuracy. These algorithms are implemented in Gravitational Lensing of Waves (GLoW): an accurate, flexible, and fast code. GLoW efficiently computes the frequency-dependent amplification factor for generic lens models and arbitrary impact parameters in O(1 ms) to O(10 ms) depending on the lens configuration and complexity. GLoW is readily applicable to model lensing diffraction on gravitational-wave signals, offering new means to investigate the distribution of dark-matter and large-scale structure with signals from ground and space detectors.

gr-qc↗

Signatures of dark and baryonic structures on weakly lensed gravitational waves

Gravitational lensing offers a powerful tool for exploring the matter distribution in the Universe. Thanks to their low frequencies and phase coherence, gravitational waves (GWs) allow for the observation of novel wave-optics features (WOFs) in lensing, inaccessible to electromagnetic signals. Combined with the existing accurate source models, lensed GWs can be used to infer the properties of gravitational lenses. The prospect is particularly compelling for space-borne detectors, where the high signal-to-noise ratio expected from massive black hole binary mergers allows WOFs to be distinguished deep into the weak lensing regime, drastically increasing the detection probability. Here, we investigate in detail the capacity of the LISA mission to detect WOFs caused by dark matter halos, galaxies and the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) within them. We estimate the total optical depth to be $λ_{\rm tot} \sim 6 \times 10 ^{-3}$ for the loudest binaries of total mass $M_{\rm BBH} \sim 10^6 M_{\odot}$, with the dominant contribution coming from SMBHs. We also find that WOFs in low-mass binaries $M_{\rm BBH} \sim 10^4 M_{\odot}$ are more likely due to the central galaxies. Within our model of gravitational lenses, we predict $\mathcal{O}(0.1)-\mathcal{O}(1)$ weakly-lensed events to be detectable during the 5 years of LISA mission, depending on the source population models. We show that WOFs signatures are very sensitive to the properties of dark-matter halos with $M_{\rm vir}\in (10^6-10^8)M_\odot$: increasing the compactness parameter by $\sim 3$ in that range raises the detection rate by $\sim 26$. Additionally, we show that collective effects from the complex inner halo structure can further enhance detectability. This suggests that lensed GWs in LISA will be an excellent probe of dark-matter theories, baryonic and halo sub-structures.

gr-qc↗

Frequency- and polarization-dependent lensing of gravitational waves in strong gravitational fields

The propagation of gravitational waves can be described in terms of null geodesics by using the geometrical optics approximation. However, at large but finite frequencies the propagation is affected by the spin-orbit coupling corrections to geometrical optics, known as the gravitational spin Hall effect. Consequently, gravitational waves follow slightly different frequency- and polarization-dependent trajectories, leading to dispersive and birefringent phenomena. We study the potential for detecting the gravitational spin Hall effect in hierarchical triple black hole systems, consisting of an emitting binary orbiting a more massive body acting as a gravitational lens. We calculate the difference in time of arrival with respect to the geodesic propagation and find that it follows a simple power-law dependence on frequency with a fixed exponent. We calculate the gravitational spin Hall-corrected waveform and its mismatch with respect to the original waveform. The waveform carries a measurable imprint of the strong gravitational field if the source, lens, and observer are sufficiently aligned, or for generic observers if the source is close enough to the lens. We present constraints on dispersive time delays from GWTC-3, translated from limits on Lorentz invariance violation. Finally, we address the sensitivity of current and future ground detectors to dispersive lensing. Our results demonstrate that the gravitational spin Hall effect can be detected, providing a novel probe of general relativity and the environments of compact binary systems.

gr-qc↗