Gravitational-wave glitches in chaotic extreme-mass-ratio inspirals

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that gravitational wave signals from chaotic extreme-mass-ratio inspirals exhibit abrupt frequency 'glitches' when crossing specific spacetime regions, offering a new way to test general relativity and spacetime symmetries.

Contribution

It reveals the link between non-integrable orbits in Kerr spacetime and observable gravitational wave 'glitches', providing a novel observational signature for fundamental physics.

Findings

Gravitational wave 'glitches' occur at Birkhoff islands in non-integrable orbits.

Detection of these glitches can test spacetime symmetries.

Glitches serve as signatures of chaotic dynamics in gravitational waveforms.

Abstract

The Kerr geometry admits the Carter symmetry, which ensures that the geodesic equations are integrable. It is shown that gravitational waveforms associated with extreme-mass-ratio inspirals involving a non-integrable compact object display `glitch' phenomena, where the frequencies of gravitational waves increase abruptly, when the orbit crosses certain spacetime regions known as Birkhoff islands. The presence or absence of these features in data from upcoming space-borne detectors will therefore allow not only for tests of general relativity, but also of fundamental spacetime symmetries.