Gair JR, Vallisneri M, Larson SL, Baker JG. Testing General Relativity with Low-Frequency, Space-Based Gravitational-Wave Detectors.
LIVING REVIEWS IN RELATIVITY 2013;
16:7. [PMID:
28163624 PMCID:
PMC5255528 DOI:
10.12942/lrr-2013-7]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/19/2013] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
We review the tests of general relativity that will become possible with space-based gravitational-wave detectors operating in the ∼ 10-5 - 1 Hz low-frequency band. The fundamental aspects of gravitation that can be tested include the presence of additional gravitational fields other than the metric; the number and tensorial nature of gravitational-wave polarization states; the velocity of propagation of gravitational waves; the binding energy and gravitational-wave radiation of binaries, and therefore the time evolution of binary inspirals; the strength and shape of the waves emitted from binary mergers and ringdowns; the true nature of astrophysical black holes; and much more. The strength of this science alone calls for the swift implementation of a space-based detector; the remarkable richness of astrophysics, astronomy, and cosmology in the low-frequency gravitational-wave band make the case even stronger.
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