Gravitational Wave Test of the Strong Equivalence Principle

TL;DR

This paper discusses how simultaneous detection of gravitational waves and gamma rays from neutron star mergers offers a highly precise test of the Strong Equivalence Principle, confirming its validity in the radiation sector.

Contribution

It introduces a novel test of the SEP using gravitational wave and gamma-ray observations, achieving unprecedented precision in the radiation sector.

Findings

Test constrains SEP violations to better than one part in 10^9.

First test of SEP in the radiation sector using gravitational waves.

Demonstrates the universality of gravitational coupling to gravitons.

Abstract

The Strong Equivalence Principle (SEP) holds the full essence and meaning of the General Theory of Relativity as the nonlinear relativistic theory of gravitation. It asserts the universal coupling of gravity to all matter and its interactions including the gravitational interaction and the gravitational self energy. We point out that confirming the gravitational coupling to gravitons, and hence to the gravitational waves, is the direct test of the SEP. We show that the near simultaneous detection of gravitational waves and gamma rays from the merger of binary neutron stars provides a unique and the most precise test of the SEP, better than a part in $10^{9}$, which is also the only test of the SEP in the radiation sector.