Distortion of Gravitational-wave Signals by Astrophysical Environments

TL;DR

This paper investigates how various astrophysical environments and effects, such as lensing and nearby objects, can distort gravitational-wave signals, potentially biasing mass measurements of compact objects.

Contribution

It identifies and discusses astrophysical factors not included in standard models that can bias gravitational-wave source parameter estimation.

Findings

Astrophysical effects can significantly bias mass measurements.

Standard models may overlook key environmental influences.

Biases could explain peculiar mass distributions in GW sources.

Abstract

Many objects discovered by LIGO and Virgo are peculiar because they fall in a mass range which in the past was considered unpopulated by compact object. Given the significance of the astrophysical implications, it is important to first understand how their masses are measured from gravitational-wave signals. How accurate is the measurement? Are there elements missing in our current model which may result in a bias? This chapter is dedicated to these questions. In particular, we will highlight several astrophysical factors which are not included in the standard model of GW sources but could result in a significant bias in the estimation of the mass. These factors include strong gravitational lensing, the relative motion of the source, a nearby massive object, and a gaseous background.