Tests of interaction of gravitational waves with detectors

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new method to test the interaction of gravitational waves with detectors, aiming to verify fundamental physics principles and constrain interaction parameters using future third-generation gravitational wave detectors.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, theory-independent test strategy and a generalized Fisher-Matrix approach for multiple sources and detectors in gravitational wave astronomy.

Findings

Potential to constrain interaction parameters with less than 1% standard deviation

More sources can break parameter degeneracy in the analysis

Future detectors can significantly improve tests of fundamental physics principles

Abstract

The various materials of test masses, and the difference of arm lengths of global ground-based gravitational-wave interferometer detectors offer a unique approach to test Newton's second law, weak equivalence principle, and Einstein equivalence principle with dynamical space-time effects in terms of the interaction of gravitational waves with detectors. We proposed a novel test strategy for the interaction between gravitational waves and detectors, which is independent of particular gravitation theory. A new population level of the Fisher-Matrix approach for multiple sources and multiple detectors case is formalized to evaluate the prospects for a binary neutron star and binary black hole coalescences. Through a generalized detector response, we found more sources could break the parameter degeneracy and one could constrain the interaction and gravitational-inertial mass ratio parameters with the standard deviation $\ls 1\%$ with about 10 compact binary coalescence sources with future third-generation detectors network.