Tests of general relativity with the binary black hole signals detected by LIGO and Virgo

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• Nathan Johnson-McDaniel (University of Cambridge)
• Wednesday 18 September 2019, 15:30-16:30
• PW-SR1 (103) .

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Silvia Toonen.

Binary black hole coalescences provide an excellent laboratory to search for possible deviations from the predictions of general relativity (GR) in the highly dynamical, strong field regime. Currently, a variety of tests for deviations from the predictions of GR are applied to the waveforms from binary black hole coalescences detected by LIGO and Virgo. These range from consistency tests to checks for dispersion in gravitational wave propagation, as would be caused by, e.g., a massive graviton. I will describe these tests and their results when applied to the ten binary black hole signals detected during the first two observing runs of the advanced gravitational wave detector network: No evidence is found for deviations from the predictions of GR, and we are able to place the most stringent constraints to date on possible deviations from GR’s predictions for binary black hole coalescences. Additionally, I will give initial results from an ongoing project investigating the relation between these tests by applying them all to a suite of waveforms exhibiting a variety of possible deviations from GR.

This talk is part of the Astrophysics Talks Series series.

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• Astrophysics Talks Series
• Bham Talks
• PW-SR1 (103)
• What's on in Physics?

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