Probing the speed of scalar induced gravitational waves from observations

Abstract The propagation speed of gravitational waves is a fundamental issue in gravitational theory. According to general relativity, gravitational waves propagate at the speed of light. However, alternative theories of gravity propose modifications to general relativity, including variations in th...

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Main Authors: Jun Li, Guang-Hai Guo, Yongcan Zu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2024-10-01
Series:European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13448-4
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author Jun Li
Guang-Hai Guo
Yongcan Zu
author_facet Jun Li
Guang-Hai Guo
Yongcan Zu
author_sort Jun Li
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The propagation speed of gravitational waves is a fundamental issue in gravitational theory. According to general relativity, gravitational waves propagate at the speed of light. However, alternative theories of gravity propose modifications to general relativity, including variations in the speed of gravitational waves. In this paper, we investigate scalar-induced gravitational waves that propagate at speeds different from the speed of light. First, we analytically calculate the power spectrum of scalar induced gravitational waves based on the speed and spectrum of primordial curvature perturbations. We then explore several scalar power spectra, deriving corresponding fractional energy densities, including monochromatic spectrum, scale-invariant spectrum, and power-law spectrum. Finally, we constrain scalar-induced gravitational waves and evaluate the signatures of their speed from the combination of CMB+BAO and gravitational wave observations. Our numerical results clearly illustrate the influence of the speed of scalar-induced gravitational waves.
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institution Kabale University
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series European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields
spelling doaj-art-d075e982062e409392d7358a349e58112024-12-08T12:43:01ZengSpringerOpenEuropean Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields1434-60522024-10-01841011210.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13448-4Probing the speed of scalar induced gravitational waves from observationsJun Li0Guang-Hai Guo1Yongcan Zu2School of Mathematics and Physics, Qingdao University of Science and TechnologySchool of Mathematics and Physics, Qingdao University of Science and TechnologyKey Laboratory of Marine Science and Numerical Modeling, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural ResourcesAbstract The propagation speed of gravitational waves is a fundamental issue in gravitational theory. According to general relativity, gravitational waves propagate at the speed of light. However, alternative theories of gravity propose modifications to general relativity, including variations in the speed of gravitational waves. In this paper, we investigate scalar-induced gravitational waves that propagate at speeds different from the speed of light. First, we analytically calculate the power spectrum of scalar induced gravitational waves based on the speed and spectrum of primordial curvature perturbations. We then explore several scalar power spectra, deriving corresponding fractional energy densities, including monochromatic spectrum, scale-invariant spectrum, and power-law spectrum. Finally, we constrain scalar-induced gravitational waves and evaluate the signatures of their speed from the combination of CMB+BAO and gravitational wave observations. Our numerical results clearly illustrate the influence of the speed of scalar-induced gravitational waves.https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13448-4
spellingShingle Jun Li
Guang-Hai Guo
Yongcan Zu
Probing the speed of scalar induced gravitational waves from observations
European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields
title Probing the speed of scalar induced gravitational waves from observations
title_full Probing the speed of scalar induced gravitational waves from observations
title_fullStr Probing the speed of scalar induced gravitational waves from observations
title_full_unstemmed Probing the speed of scalar induced gravitational waves from observations
title_short Probing the speed of scalar induced gravitational waves from observations
title_sort probing the speed of scalar induced gravitational waves from observations
url https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13448-4
work_keys_str_mv AT junli probingthespeedofscalarinducedgravitationalwavesfromobservations
AT guanghaiguo probingthespeedofscalarinducedgravitationalwavesfromobservations
AT yongcanzu probingthespeedofscalarinducedgravitationalwavesfromobservations