Toward claiming a detection of gravitational memory
Jann Zosso, Lorena Maga\~na Zertuche, Silvia Gasparotto, Adrien Cogez, Henri Inchausp\'e, Milo Jacobs

TL;DR
This paper develops a theoretical framework to model and detect gravitational memory effects in gravitational wave signals, focusing on space-based detectors like LISA and mergers of supermassive black holes.
Contribution
It introduces a robust definition of the observable gravitational memory rise by separating high-frequency waves from low-frequency memory buildup, enabling better detection strategies.
Findings
Formulated a scale separation using Isaacson's energy-momentum description.
Analyzed LISA's response to gravitational memory from supermassive black hole mergers.
Provided a foundation for hypothesis testing between memory and non-memory signals.
Abstract
Gravitational memory is a zero-frequency effect associated with a permanent change in the asymptotic spacetime metric induced by radiation. Although its universal manifestation is a net change in the proper distances between freely falling test masses, gravitational wave detectors are intrinsically insensitive to the final offset and can only probe the transition. A central challenge for any detection claim is therefore to define a physically meaningful and operationally robust model of the time-dependent signal that is uniquely attributable to gravitational memory and distinguishable from purely oscillatory radiation. We show that while the Bondi-van der Burg-Metzner-Sachs balance laws rigorously establish the total memory offset, a robust definition of the observable memory rise requires an additional physical input: a separation of scales between high-frequency gravitational waves…
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