Quantum mechanical interaction of matter with the scalar mode of gravitational wave in modified gravity theories

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a quantum particle interacts with scalar gravitational waves in modified gravity theories, aiming to identify observable differences from standard General Relativity.

Contribution

It introduces a framework to analyze matter's response to scalar GWs in modified gravity, highlighting potential observational signatures.

Findings

Scalar mode interaction differs from tensor modes in quantum systems

Potential observational signatures distinguish MTG from GR

Framework for future experimental tests of modified gravity

Abstract

We study the interaction of a quantum mechanical particle with gravitational wave (GW) in the framework of modified theory of gravity (MTG) where apart from the two standard tensorial modes of polarization of GW there exists another massless scalar mode. The purpose of using the MTG framework in our study is to uncover key features in matter's response to GWs that, if observed in actual GW data, can serve as observational evidence in favor of MTG over standard General Relativity.