Detecting Beyond-Einstein Polarizations of Continuous Gravitational Waves

TL;DR

This paper develops methods for detecting and distinguishing beyond-Einstein gravitational wave polarizations from continuous signals of pulsars, enhancing the ability to test General Relativity with next-generation detectors.

Contribution

It introduces model-independent techniques to identify and differentiate gravitational wave polarizations, including alternative ones, from continuous pulsar signals.

Findings

LIGO S5 sensitivity estimates for 115 pulsars

Methods can detect any polarization content

Distinguishes between polarization modes independently

Abstract

The direct detection of gravitational waves with the next generation detectors, like Advanced LIGO, provides the opportunity to measure deviations from the predictions of General Relativity. One such departure would be the existence of alternative polarizations. To measure these, we study a single detector measurement of a continuous gravitational wave from a triaxial pulsar source. We develop methods to detect signals of any polarization content and distinguish between them in a model independent way. We present LIGO S5 sensitivity estimates for 115 pulsars.