Asteroseismology of red-giant stars as a novel approach in the search for gravitational waves

TL;DR

This paper proposes using asteroseismology of red-giant stars as a new method to detect gravitational waves by observing their oscillation modes, which could complement existing GW detection techniques.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach that leverages stellar oscillations in red giants as natural gravitational-wave detectors, expanding the toolkit for GW astronomy.

Findings

Red giants can serve as natural GW detectors through their oscillation modes.

Monitoring multiple stars could reveal GW signatures across the local universe.

This method complements planned space-based GW observatories like eLISA.

Abstract

Stars are massive resonators that may be used as gravitational-wave (GW) detectors with isotropic sensitivity. New insights on stellar physics are being made possible by asteroseismology, the study of stars by the observation of their natural oscillations. The continuous monitoring of oscillation modes in stars of different masses and sizes (e.g., as carried out by NASA's Kepler mission) opens the possibility of surveying the local Universe for GW radiation. Red-giant stars are of particular interest in this regard. Since the mean separation between red giants in open clusters is small (a few light years), this can in principle be used to look for the same GW imprint on the oscillation modes of different stars as a GW propagates across the cluster. Furthermore, the frequency range probed by oscillations in red giants complements the capabilities of the planned eLISA space interferometer. We propose asteroseismology of red giants as a novel approach in the search for gravitational waves.