A New Approach to the Low Frequency Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background: Constraints from Quasars and the Astrometric Hellings-Downs Curve

TL;DR

This paper uses Gaia quasar proper motions to set new, stringent limits on the low-frequency stochastic gravitational wave background, employing the first astrometric Hellings-Downs curve analysis with optical data.

Contribution

It introduces the first construction of an astrometric Hellings-Downs curve and provides the most sensitive optical astrometric constraints on gravitational waves to date.

Findings

Upper limit on gravitational wave energy density: $h_{70}^2\Omega_{GW} \,\leq\ 0.023$

Characteristic strain constraint: $h_{c} \,\leq\ 2.7 \times 10^{-12}$

Astrometric limits surpass radio-frequency interferometry constraints.

Abstract

We present new astrometric constraints on the stochastic gravitational wave background and construct the first astrometric Hellings-Downs curve using quasar proper motions. From quadrupolar vector spherical harmonic fits to the Gaia proper motions of 1,108,858 quasars, we obtain a frequency-integrated upper limit on the gravitational wave energy density, $h_{70}^2\Omega_{GW} \leq 0.023$ (95% confidence limit), for frequencies between 11.2 nHz and $3.1\times10^{-9}$ nHz ($1.33/t_0$). However, from the astrometric Hellings-Downs curve that describes the correlated proper motions between 2,104,609,881 quasar pairs as a function of their angular separation, we find a stronger constraint: a characteristic strain of $h_{c} \leq 2.7 \times 10^{-12}$ for $f_{\rm ref} = 1$ yr$^{-1}$ and $h_{70}^2\Omega_{\rm GW} \leq 0.0096$ at 95% confidence. We probe down to $\pm$0.005 $\mu$as$^2$ yr$^{-2}$ in correlated power and obtain the lowest astrometric limit to date. This is also the first time that optical wavelength astrometry surpasses limits from radio-frequency interferometry. This astrometric analysis does not yet reach the sensitivity needed to detect the pulsar timing-based red gravitational wave spectrum extrapolated to the quasar gravitational wave sensitivity window, assuming that the turnover in the spectrum occurs at $\sim$1 nHz for massive black hole binaries. The limits presented here may exclude some exotic interpretations of the stochastic gravitational wave background.