Probing the massive scalar mode in the levitated sensor detector of gravitational wave

TL;DR

This paper explores how a levitated sensor detector can differentiate between scalar and tensor gravitational wave modes, potentially providing evidence for modified gravity theories by detecting distinct frequency signals.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum mechanical model of a levitated sensor detector capable of distinguishing scalar and tensor gravitational wave modes across different frequencies.

Findings

Levitated sensor can detect both scalar and tensor modes at different frequencies.

The detector's resonant transitions depend on the gravitational wave type and frequency.

The model predicts measurable probabilities of resonant transitions for incoming waves.

Abstract

Owing to the mass scale associated with the scalar longitudinal mode signal of gravitational wave predicted by modified theories of gravity, it should propagate at a subluminal speed and with a different frequency compared to the massless tensor mode signals which moves at the speed of light and are present in both standard general relativity and modified theories. This is ensured by the massless and massive dispersion relations obeyed respectively by the tensor and scalar modes of gravitational wave coming from a given source and thus having the same propagation vector. We show that because of its wider operational frequency band the recently designed levitated sensor detector \cite{Aggarwal} of gravitational wave has a better chance of detecting both the scalar and tensor modes at these different frequencies and thus can provide observational evidence in favour of modified theories of gravity over general relativity. This detector works on the principle of optical trapping \cite{Ashkin_1970} of a dielectric nanosphere sensor\cite{Geraci}. By adjusting the intensity of the optical beam the frequency of the harmonic potential trap can be varied widely so that the nanosphere sensor can undergo distinct resonant transitions induced by the tensor and scalar modes. We demonstrate that the dynamics of the sensor mass obeys a geodesic deviation equation in the proper detector frame and construct a quantum mechanical description of this system in modified gravity framework to compute the probabilities of resonant transitions in response to incoming gravitational wave signals of both periodic and aperiodic kind.