Probing dipole radiation from binary neutron stars with ground-based laser-interferometer and atom-interferometer gravitational-wave observatories

TL;DR

This paper explores how future atom-interferometer gravitational-wave detectors can enhance tests of dipole radiation from binary neutron star mergers, providing significantly tighter bounds than current laser interferometers alone.

Contribution

It demonstrates that combining atom-interferometer GW observatories with laser interferometers improves constraints on dipole radiation parameters from BNS mergers.

Findings

Tighter bounds on dipole radiation parameter B by up to three orders of magnitude.

Expected bounds of |B| ≲ 10^{-9} with ZAIGA and |B| ≲ 10^{-10} with Z+.

Enhanced capability to test the strong equivalence principle.

Abstract

Atom-interferometer gravitational-wave (GW) observatory, as a new design of ground-based GW detector for the near future, is sensitive at a relatively low frequency for GW observations. Taking the proposed atom interferometer Zhaoshan Long-baseline Atom Interferometer Gravitation Antenna (ZAIGA), and its illustrative upgrade (Z+) as examples, we investigate how the atom interferometer will complement ground-based laser interferometers in testing the gravitational dipole radiation from binary neutron star (BNS) mergers. A test of such kind is important for a better understanding of the strong equivalence principle laying at the heart of Einstein's general relativity. To obtain a statistically sound result, we sample BNS systems according to their merger rate and population, from which we study the expected bounds on the parameterized dipole radiation parameter $B$. Extracting BNS parameters and the dipole radiation from the combination of ground-based laser interferometers and the atom-interferometer ZAIGA/Z+, we are entitled to obtain tighter bounds on $B$ by a few times to a few orders of magnitude, compared to ground-based laser interferometers alone, ultimately reaching the levels of $|B| \lesssim 10^{-9}$ (with ZAIGA) and $|B| \lesssim 10^{-10}$ (with Z+).