A Search for Tensor, Vector, and Scalar Polarizations in the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background

Authors

Tiffany Summerscales, Andrews UniversityFollow
LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-7-2018

Keywords

General Relativity, Quantum Cosmology

Abstract

The detection of gravitational waves with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo has enabled novel tests of general relativity, including direct study of the polarization of gravitational waves. While general relativity allows for only two tensor gravitational-wave polarizations, general metric theories can additionally predict two vector and two scalar polarizations. The polarization of gravitational waves is encoded in the spectral shape of the stochastic gravitational-wave background, formed by the superposition of cosmological and individually-unresolved astrophysical sources. Using data recorded by Advanced LIGO during its first observing run, we search for a stochastic background of generically-polarized gravitational waves. We find no evidence for a background of any polarization, and place the first direct bounds on the contributions of vector and scalar polarizations to the stochastic background. Under log-uniform priors for the energy in each polarization, we limit the energy-densities of tensor, vector, and scalar modes at 95% credibility to ΩT0

Comments

preprint; 500 additional authors

Journal Title

arXiv: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

First Department

Physics

Recommended Citation

Summerscales, Tiffany and LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration, "A Search for Tensor, Vector, and Scalar Polarizations in the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background" (2018). Faculty Publications. 606.
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/pubs/606

Acknowledgements

Retrieved May 23, 2018, from https://arxiv.org/pdf/1802.10194.pdf