Massive gravitational waves from the R^2 theory of gravity: production and response of interferometers

TL;DR

This paper explores how the R^2 gravity theory predicts massive gravitational waves, affecting interferometer responses and potentially contributing to dark matter, offering a way to distinguish gravity theories.

Contribution

It demonstrates the production of massive gravitational wave modes in R^2 gravity and analyzes their detection response, providing a novel method to differentiate gravity theories.

Findings

Massive gravitational wave modes can be produced in R^2 gravity.

Interferometers respond differently to massive modes, enabling theory discrimination.

Massive gravitational waves could contribute to the Universe's dark matter.

Abstract

We show that from the R^{2} high order gravity theory it is possible to produce, in the linearized approch, particles which can be seen like massive modes of gravitational waves (GWs). The presence of the mass generates a longitudinal force in addition of the transverse one which is proper of the massless gravitational waves and the response an interferometer to the effect is computed. This could be, in principle, important to discriminate among the gravity theories. The presence of the mass could also have important applications in cosmology because the fact that gravitational waves can have mass could give a contribution to the dark matter of the Universe.