11 research outputs found
Numerical simulations of single and binary black holes in scalar-tensor theories: circumventing the no-hair theorem
Scalar-tensor theories are a compelling alternative to general relativity and
one of the most accepted extensions of Einstein's theory. Black holes in these
theories have no hair, but could grow "wigs" supported by time-dependent
boundary conditions or spatial gradients. Time-dependent or spatially varying
fields lead in general to nontrivial black hole dynamics, with potentially
interesting experimental consequences. We carry out a numerical investigation
of the dynamics of single and binary black holes in the presence of scalar
fields. In particular we study gravitational and scalar radiation from
black-hole binaries in a constant scalar-field gradient, and we compare our
numerical findings to analytical models. In the single black hole case we find
that, after a short transient, the scalar field relaxes to static
configurations, in agreement with perturbative calculations. Furthermore we
predict analytically (and verify numerically) that accelerated black holes in a
scalar-field gradient emit scalar radiation. For a quasicircular black-hole
binary, our analytical and numerical calculations show that the dominant
component of the scalar radiation is emitted at twice the binary's orbital
frequency.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, matches version accepted in Physical Review
Tensor-multi-scalar theories: relativistic stars and 3+1 decomposition
Gravitational theories with multiple scalar fields coupled to the metric and
each other --- a natural extension of the well studied single-scalar-tensor
theories --- are interesting phenomenological frameworks to describe deviations
from general relativity in the strong-field regime. In these theories, the
-tuple of scalar fields takes values in a coordinate patch of an
-dimensional Riemannian target-space manifold whose properties are poorly
constrained by weak-field observations. Here we introduce for simplicity a
non-trivial model with two scalar fields and a maximally symmetric target-space
manifold. Within this model we present a preliminary investigation of
spontaneous scalarization for relativistic, perfect fluid stellar models in
spherical symmetry. We find that the scalarization threshold is determined by
the eigenvalues of a symmetric scalar-matter coupling matrix, and that the
properties of strongly scalarized stellar configurations additionally depend on
the target-space curvature radius. In preparation for numerical relativity
simulations, we also write down the decomposition of the field equations
for generic tensor-multi-scalar theories.Comment: 32 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, invited contribution to the Classical
and Quantum Gravity Focus Issue "Black holes and fundamental fields". v3:
version in press in CQG, with various improvements in response to the
referees' comments. In particular, the 3+1 decomposition now allows for
matte
Light scalar field constraints from gravitational-wave observations of compact binaries
Scalar-tensor theories are among the simplest extensions of general
relativity. In theories with light scalars, deviations from Einstein's theory
of gravity are determined by the scalar mass m_s and by a Brans-Dicke-like
coupling parameter \omega_{BD}. We show that gravitational-wave observations of
nonspinning neutron star-black hole binary inspirals can be used to set lower
bounds on \omega_{BD} and upper bounds on the combination
m_s/\sqrt{\omega_{BD}}$. We estimate via a Fisher matrix analysis that
individual observations with signal-to-noise ratio \rho would yield
(m_s/\sqrt{\omega_{BD}})(\rho/10)<10^{-15}, 10^{-16} and 10^{-19} eV for
Advanced LIGO, ET and eLISA, respectively. A statistical combination of
multiple observations may further improve these bounds.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures. Matches version accepted in Physical Review
Gravitational Higgs mechanism in neutron star interiors
We suggest that nonminimally coupled scalar fields can lead to modifications of the microphysics in the interiors of relativistic stars. As a concrete example, we consider the generation of a non-zero photon mass in such high-density environments. This is achieved by means of a light gravitational scalar, and the scalarization phase transition in scalar-tensor theories of gravitation. Two distinct models are presented, and phenomenological implications are briefly discussed
Testing General Relativity with Present and Future Astrophysical Observations
One century after its formulation, Einstein's general relativity has maderemarkable predictions and turned out to be compatible with all experimentaltests. Most of these tests probe the theory in the weak-field regime, and thereare theoretical and experimental reasons to believe that general relativityshould be modified when gravitational fields are strong and spacetime curvatureis large. The best astrophysical laboratories to probe strong-field gravity areblack holes and neutron stars, whether isolated or in binary systems. We reviewthe motivations to consider extensions of general relativity. We present a(necessarily incomplete) catalog of modified theories of gravity for whichstrong-field predictions have been computed and contrasted to Einstein'stheory, and we summarize our current understanding of the structure anddynamics of compact objects in these theories. We discuss current bounds onmodified gravity from binary pulsar and cosmological observations, and wehighlight the potential of future gravitational wave measurements to inform uson the behavior of gravity in the strong-field regime