Princeton University Gravity Initiative Fall Seminar Series

Abstract: The detection of Gravitational Waves (GWs) from binary black hole coalescences offers a powerful tool for exploring the strong-field regime of General Relativity (GR). To ensure the reliability of these tests, it is essential to identify and address potential sources of error, particularly those arising from “missing physics” in the waveform models used in GW data analysis. Specifically, effects such as eccentricity and strong gravitational lensing are not currently accounted for in GW tests of GR. We study the application of GR tests on simulated eccentric and quasicircular Type II lensed GW signals in the LIGO-Virgo network. Our findings highlight the need to rule out mimicking biases due to eccentricity or strong lensing before claiming a GR deviation.