General relativistic simulations of the quasi-circular inspiral and merger of charged black holes: GW150914 and fundamental physics implications

TL;DR

This paper uses general relativistic simulations to analyze charged black hole mergers, demonstrating the potential to detect black hole charge via gravitational waves and constraining deviations from general relativity.

Contribution

It introduces the first simulations of charged black hole mergers relevant to GW150914, exploring detectability of charge and implications for modified gravity theories.

Findings

GW150914 could have a charge-to-mass ratio up to 0.3

Black hole charge affects gravitational wave signals

Constraints on deviations from general relativity in strong-field regimes

Abstract

We perform general-relativistic simulations of charged black holes targeting GW150914. We show that the inspiral is most efficient for detecting black hole charge through gravitational waves and that GW150914 is compatible with having charge-to-mass ratio as high as 0.3. Our work applies to electric and magnetic charge, and to theories with black holes endowed with U(1) (hidden or dark) charges. Using our results we place an upper bound on the deviation from general relativity in the dynamical, strong-field regime of the so-called theory of MOdified Gravity (MOG).