Is GW151226 a really signal of gravitational wave?

TL;DR

This paper questions the validity of the GW151226 gravitational wave detection by analyzing the phase effects of photon propagation in the interferometer, suggesting the signal may not be genuine.

Contribution

It introduces a new perspective by considering photon propagation effects, challenging the original interpretation of GW151226 as a gravitational wave signal.

Findings

The phase difference may cancel out, undermining the detection signal.

Photon propagation effects can significantly influence gravitational wave measurements.

The claimed GW151226 signal could almost disappear when these effects are considered.

Abstract

Recently, the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration published the second observation on gravitational wave GW151226 [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 241103 (2016)] from the binary black hole coalescence with initial masses about 14 M$_\odot$ and 8 M$_\odot$. They claimed that the peak gravitational strain was reached at about 450 Hz, the inverse of which has been longer than the average time a photon staying in the Fabry-Perot cavities in two arms. In this case, the phase-difference of a photon in the two arms due to the propagation of gravitational wave does not always increase as the photon stays in the cavities. It might even be cancelled to zero in extreme cases. When the propagation effect is taken into account, we find that the claimed signal GW151226 would almost disappear.