Detecting the massive vector field with extreme mass-ratio inspirals

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a massive vector field influences gravitational wave signals from extreme mass-ratio inspirals, showing that LISA could detect and measure properties of such fields with high precision.

Contribution

It introduces a method to compute EMRI waveforms in Einstein-Proca theory, revealing detectable effects of vector charge and mass on gravitational waves.

Findings

Vector charge and mass affect EMRI waveforms.

LISA can measure the Proca field's mass accurately.

Detectable deviations in gravitational waves due to vector fields.

Abstract

The future space-borne gravitational wave detector, Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), has the potential of detecting the fundamental fields, such as the charge and mass of ultra-light scalar field. In this paper we study the effect of lighter vector field on the gravitational waveforms from extreme mass-ratio inspirals (EMRI) system, consisting of a stellar-mass object and the massive black hole (MBH) in the Einstein-Proca theory of a massive vector field coupling to gravity. Using the perturbation theory, we compute the energy fluxes including the contributions of the Proca field and the gravitational field, then obtain the adiabatic inspiraling orbits and corresponding waveforms. Our results demonstrate that the vector charge and mass carried by the secondary body lead to detectable effects on EMRI waveform, and LISA has the potential to measure the mass of the Proca field with greater precision.