The dominating mode of two competing massive modes of quadratic gravity

TL;DR

This paper investigates the energy-carrying properties of massive spin-2 modes in quadratic gravity, showing they dominate over scalar modes, especially around intermediate-mass black holes relevant for LISA observations.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the massive spin-2 mode in quadratic gravity carries more energy than the scalar mode, highlighting its significance in gravitational wave physics.

Findings

Massive spin-2 mode carries more energy than scalar mode.

Effects are pronounced for intermediate-mass black holes.

Results are relevant for LISA gravitational wave observations.

Abstract

Over the last two decades, motivations for modified gravity have emerged from both theoretical and observational levels. $f(R)$ and Chern-Simons gravity have received more attention as they are the simplest generalization. However, $f(R)$ and Chern-Simons gravity contain only an additional scalar (spin-0) degree of freedom and, as a result, do not include other modes of modified theories of gravity. In contrast, quadratic gravity (also referred to as Stelle gravity) is the most general second-order modification to 4-D general relativity and contains a massive spin-2 mode that is not present in $f(R)$ and Chern-Simons gravity. Using two different physical settings $-$ the gravitational wave energy-flux measured by the detectors and the backreaction of the emitted gravitational radiation on the spacetime of the remnant black hole $-$ we demonstrate that massive spin-2 mode carries more energy than the spin-0 mode. Our analysis shows that the effects are pronounced for intermediate-mass black holes, which are prime targets for LISA.