On the response of gravitational antennas to dilatonic waves

TL;DR

This paper discusses how gravitational antennas respond to dilatonic waves from string theory, emphasizing the need for a generalized analysis due to non-geodesic coupling and composition-dependent effects.

Contribution

It introduces a generalized equation of geodesic deviation to accurately analyze antenna responses to dilatonic waves, moving beyond traditional scalar-tensor models.

Findings

Response depends on composition-dependent dilatonic charge

Standard geodesic deviation models are insufficient

Proposes a generalized framework for detection analysis

Abstract

It is pointed out that the coupling of macroscopic test masses to the gravi-dilaton background of string theory is non geodesic, in general, and cannot be parametrized by a Brans-Dicke model of scalar-tensor gravity. The response of gravitational antennas to dilatonic waves should be analyzed through a generalized equation of geodesic deviation, taking into account the possible direct coupling of the background to the (composition-dependent) dilatonic charge of the antenna.