Astrophysical constraints on extended gravity models

TL;DR

This paper explores how gravitational wave observations from binary systems can constrain extended gravity models involving a massive scalar field, providing bounds on model parameters based on orbital period damping.

Contribution

It introduces a method to constrain extended gravity models using orbital period damping data from binary systems, linking observational data to theoretical parameters.

Findings

Orbital period variation depends on three mass scales.

Constraints on mass scales derived from current observational data.

Extended gravity models can be tested using gravitational wave damping effects.

Abstract

We investigate the propagation of gravitational waves in the context of fourth order gravity nonminimally coupled to a massive scalar field. Using the damping of the orbital period of coalescing stellar binary systems, we impose constraints on the free parameters of extended gravity models. In particular, we find that the variation of the orbital period is a function of three mass scales which depend on the free parameters of the model under consideration; we can constrain these mass scales from current observational data.