# The wave nature of continuous gravitational waves from microlensing

## TL;DR

This paper explores the wave-like diffraction and interference features of continuous gravitational waves caused by gravitational lensing, proposing that such fringes could be observed as amplitude modulations in gravitational wave signals.

## Contribution

It introduces the idea that gravitational lensing can produce observable diffraction and interference fringes in continuous gravitational waves, a novel concept in gravitational wave astronomy.

## Key findings

- Diffraction and interference fringes can modulate gravitational wave amplitudes.
- Lensing acts as a diffraction barrier for gravitational waves.
- Amplitude variations due to fringes are potentially detectable.

## Abstract

Gravitational wave predicted by General Relativity is the transverse wave of spatial strain. Several gravitational waveform signals from binary black holes and from a binary neutron star system accompanied by electromagnetic counterparts have been recorded by advanced LIGO and advanced Virgo. In analogy to light, the spatial fringes of diffraction and interference should also exist as the important features of gravitational waves. We propose that observational detection of such fringes could be achieved through gravitational lensing of continuous gravitational waves. The lenses would play the role of the diffraction barriers. Considering peculiar motions of the observer, the lens and the source, the spatial amplitude variation of diffraction or interference fringes should be detectable as an amplitude modulation of monochromatic gravitational signal.