Using Binary Star Observations to Bound the Mass of the Graviton

Authors

Shane L. Larson, Utah State UniversityFollow
William A. Hiscock

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Physical Review D

Volume

61

Issue

10

Publication Date

2000

First Page

104008

Arxiv Identifier

arXiv:gr-qc/9912102v1

Abstract

Interacting white dwarf binary star systems, including helium cataclysmic variable (HeCV) systems, are expected to be strong sources of gravitational radiation, and should be detectable by proposed space-based laser interferometer gravitational wave observatories such as LISA. Several HeCV star systems are presently known and can be studied optically, which will allow electromagnetic and gravitational wave observations to be correlated. Comparisons of the phases of a gravitational wave signal and the orbital light curve from an interacting binary white dwarf star system can be used to bound the mass of the graviton. Observations of typical HeCV systems by LISA could potentially yield an upper bound on the inverse mass of the graviton as strong as h/m_g=λ_g>1×10¹⁵ km (m_g<1×10^-24 eV), more than two orders of magnitude better than present solar system derived bounds.

Comments

Published by the American Physical Society in Physical Review D. Publisher PDF available through remote link.

Author e-print is deposited in arXiv.org.

Recommended Citation

Larson, S. L., & Hiscock, W. A. (2000). Using binary stars to bound the mass of the graviton. Physical Review D, 61(10), 104008.