Can we detect quantum gravity with compact binary inspirals?

TL;DR

This paper calculates quantum corrections to gravitational waves from binary systems using effective field theory, finding the effects are too small to detect with current technology.

Contribution

It provides the first leading-order quantum correction calculations for astrophysical binary inspirals within an effective field theory framework.

Findings

Quantum corrections cause a phase shift and amplitude increase in gravitational waves.

Corrections are too small to be observed with current or foreseeable detectors.

Results are independent of the unknown high-energy quantum gravity details.

Abstract

Treating general relativity as an effective field theory, we compute the leading-order quantum corrections to the orbits and gravitational-wave emission of astrophysical compact binaries. These corrections are independent of the (unknown) nature of quantum gravity at high energies, and generate a phase shift and amplitude increase in the observed gravitational-wave signal. Unfortunately (but unsurprisingly), these corrections are undetectably small, even in the most optimistic observational scenarios.