Probing Cosmic Strings via Black Hole Quasinormal Modes in Gravitational Wave Astronomy

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new method to detect cosmic strings by analyzing their effects on black hole quasinormal modes in gravitational wave signals, offering a novel observational strategy for these elusive objects.

Contribution

The study introduces a framework modeling cosmic strings as perturbations in black hole spacetime and identifies their distinct signatures in quasinormal mode spectra.

Findings

Lower limit on perturbation strength for detectability: ~10^{-10} (uncharged), ~10^{-7} (charged)

Cosmic strings induce unique features in GW signals that can be distinguished from other sources

QNM analysis provides an alternative method to constrain or detect cosmic strings with future GW observations.

Abstract

Black holes, the simplest solution to Einstein's field equations, do not emit light, making their observations a major challenge for researchers. However, discovery of binary black holes (BBHs) in 2015 by LIGO has transformed the study of compact objects, with over 300 BBHs recorded, providing a new avenue for probing new physics. GWs remain a prominent and precise method of observing not only BBHs, but also dark matter and cosmic strings. Cosmic strings -- hypothetical one dimensional topological defects formed in the early universe, are yet to be observed, with multiple detection methods such as particle radiation, gravitational waves and lensing being proposed. Here we present a novel framework to search for cosmic strings by modeling them as perturbations within non-rotating black hole spacetime, focusing on their imprint on the spectrum of quasinormal modes (QNMs). Our numerical simulations identify a lower limit on perturbation strength, $\lambda \sim 10^{-10}$ for uncharged string and $\lambda \sim 10^{-7}$ for charged string, below which cosmic string effects become unobservable in QNM signals. By analyzing eigenvalue splitting and centers, we show that cosmic string properties impart distinct and detectable features to GW signals. Our results establish QNM analysis as a powerful, alternative observational strategy for constraining or detecting cosmic strings, and offer an inverse approach to estimate string energy or charge if a signal is detected. With upgrades in LIGO technologies and advanced multimessenger astronomy under development, these findings highlight new potential for detecting cosmic strings.