Constraining black-hole horizon effects by LIGO-Virgo detections of inspiralling binary black holes

TL;DR

This paper explores how gravitational wave observations from binary black hole mergers can constrain modifications to black-hole horizon physics predicted by some alternative gravity theories, using parameterized horizon flux models and Bayesian analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a parameterization for horizon flux effects, enabling constraints on modified gravity theories through gravitational wave data analysis.

Findings

Constraints improve with multiple detections.

Over 10,000 detections needed to support Hawking's area theorem.

Future detectors could detect near horizon modifications if present.

Abstract

General relativity predicts mass and spin growth of an inspiralling black hole due to an energy-momentum flux flowing through the black-hole horizon. The leading-order terms of this horizon flux introduce 2.5 and 3.5 post-Newtonian corrections to inspiral motions of binary black holes. The corrections may be measurable by gravitational waves detectors. Since the proper improvements to general relativity is still a mystery, it is possible that the true modified gravity theory introduces negligible direct corrections to the geodesics of test masses, while near horizon corrections are observable. We introduce a parameterization to describe arbitrary mass and spin growth of inspiralling black holes. Comparing signals of gravitational waves and a waveform model with parameterized horizon flux corrections, deviations from general relativity can be constrained. We simulate a set of gravitational waves signals following an astrophysical distribution with horizon flux modifications. Then, we perform a Bayesian analysis to obtain the expected constraints from the simulated response of the Advanced LIGO-Virgo detector network to the simulated signals. We show that the constraint can be improved by stacking multiple detections. The constraints of modified horizon flux can be used to test a specific class of modified gravity theories which predict dominant corrections near black-hole horizons over other types of corrections to general relativity. To support Hawking's area theorem at 90\% confidence level, over 10000 LIGO-Virgo detections are required. Within the lifetime of LIGO and Einstein Telescope, a future ground-based gravitational wave detector, near horizon corrections of modified gravity theories are potentially detectable if one of the modified gravity theory is true and the theory predicts a strong correction.