We study the capability of the space-based gravitational wave observatory TianQin to test the no-hair theorem of General Relativity, using the ringdown signal from the coalescence of massive black hole binaries. We parameterize the ringdown signal by the four strongest quasinormal modes and estimate the signal to noise ratio for various source parameters. We consider constraints both from single detections and from all the events combined throughout the lifetime of the observatory, for different astrophysical models. We find that at the end of the mission, TianQin will have constrained deviations of the frequency and decay time of the dominant 22 mode from the general relativistic predictions to within 0.2% and 1.5% respectively, the frequencies of the subleading modes can be also constrained within 0.3%. We also find that TianQin and LISA are highly complementary, by virtue of their different frequency windows. Indeed, LISA can best perform ringdown tests for black hole masses in excess of $\sim 3\times 10^6 M_\odot$, while TianQin is best suited for lower masses.
Constituted with a massive black hole and a stellar mass compact object, Extreme Mass Ratio Inspiral (EMRI) events hold unique opportunity for the study of massive black holes, such as by measuring and checking the relations among the mass, spin and quadrupole moment of a massive black hole, putting the no-hair theorem to test. TianQin is a planned space-based gravitational wave observatory and EMRI is one of its main types of sources. It is important to estimate the capacity of TianQin on testing the no-hair theorem with EMRIs. In this work, we use the analytic kludge waveform with quadrupole…
The Einstein Telescope (ET), a proposed third-generation gravitational wave observatory, would enable tests of the no-hair theorem by looking at the characteristic frequencies and damping times of black hole ringdown signals. In previous work it was shown that with a single $500 - 1000\,M_\odot$ black hole at distance $\lesssim 6$ Gpc (or redshift $z \lesssim 1$), deviations of a few percent in the frequencies and damping times of dominant and sub-dominant modes would be within the range of detectability. Given that such sources may be relatively rare, it is of interest to see how well the no-…
Perturbed Kerr black holes emit gravitational radiation, which (for the practical purposes of gravitational-wave astronomy) consists of a superposition of damped sinusoids termed quasi-normal modes. The frequencies and time-constants of the modes depend only on the mass and spin of the black hole - a consequence of the no-hair theorem. It has been proposed that a measurement of two or more quasi-normal modes could be used to confirm that the source is a black hole and to test if general relativity continues to hold in ultra-strong gravitational fields. In this paper we propose a practical appr…
We show that second-generation gravitational-wave detectors at their design sensitivity will allow us to directly probe the ringdown phase of binary black hole coalescences. This opens the possibility to test the so-called black hole no-hair conjecture in a statistically rigorous way. Using state-of-the-art numerical relativity-tuned waveform models and dedicated methods to effectively isolate the quasi-stationary perturbative regime where a ringdown description is valid, we demonstrate the capability of measuring the physical parameters of the remnant black hole, and subsequently determining …
The ringdown is the late part of the post-merger signature emitted during the coalescence of two black holes and comprises of a superposition of quasi-normal-modes. Within general relativity, because of the no-hair theorems, the frequencies and damping times of these modes are entirely determined by the mass and angular momentum of the final Kerr black hole. A detection of multiple ringdown modes would potentially allow us to test the no-hair theorem from observational data. The parameters which determine whether sub-dominant ringdown modes can be detected are primarily the overall signal-to-n…
Validating the black-hole no-hair theorem with gravitational-wave observations of compact binary coalescences provides a compelling argument that the remnant object is indeed a black hole as described by the general theory of relativity. This requires performing a spectroscopic analysis of the post-merger signal and resolving the frequencies of either different angular modes or overtones (of the same angular mode). For a nearly-equal mass binary black-hole system, only the dominant angular mode ($l=m=2$) is sufficiently excited and the overtones are instrumental to perform this test. Here we i…
General relativity's no-hair theorem states that isolated astrophysical black holes are described by only two numbers: mass and spin. As a consequence, there are strict relationships between the frequency and damping time of the different modes of a perturbed Kerr black hole. Testing the no-hair theorem has been a longstanding goal of gravitational-wave astronomy. The recent detection of gravitational waves from black hole mergers would seem to make such tests imminent. We investigate how constraints on black hole ringdown parameters scale with the loudness of the ringdown signal---subject to …
General relativity admits a plethora of exact compact object solutions. The augmentation of Einstein's action with non-minimal coupling terms leads to modified theories with rich structure, which, in turn, provide non-trivial solutions with intriguing phenomenology. Thus, assessing their viability under generic fluctuations is of utmost importance for gravity theories. We consider static and spherically-symmetric solutions of a Horndeski subclass which includes a massless scalar field non-minimally coupled to the Einstein tensor. Such theory possesses second-order field equations and admits an…
General relativity predicts that a black hole that results from the merger of two compact stars (either black holes or neutron stars) is initially highly deformed but soon settles down to a quiescent state by emitting a superposition of quasi-normal modes (QNMs). The QNMs are damped sinusoids with characteristic frequencies and decay times that depend only on the mass and spin of the black hole and no other parameter - a statement of the no-hair theorem. In this paper we have examined the extent to which QNMs could be used to test the no-hair theorem with future ground- and space-based gravita…
The direct discovery of gravitational waves from compact binary systems leads for the first time to explore the possibility of black hole spectroscopy. Newly formed black holes produced by coalescing events are copious emitters of gravitational radiation, in the form of damped sinusoids, the quasi normal modes. The latter provide a precious source of information on the nature of gravity in the strong field regime, as they represent a powerful tool to investigate the validity of the no-hair theorem. In this work we perform a systematic study on the accuracy with which current and future interfe…
It is possible to infer the mass and spin of the remnant black hole from binary black hole mergers by comparing the ringdown gravitational wave signal to results from studies of perturbed Kerr spacetimes. Typically these studies are based on the fundamental quasinormal mode of the dominant $\ell=m=2$ harmonic. By modeling the ringdown of accurate numerical relativity simulations, we find that the fundamental mode alone is insufficient to recover the true underlying mass and spin, unless the analysis is started very late in the ringdown. Including higher overtones associated with this $\ell=m=2…
Ringdown Signatures of Dehnen Dark Matter Halos: Fluid Modes and Detectability with Space-Based Detectors
Center for Gravitational Wave Experiment, National Microgravity Laboratory, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院力学研究所微重力国家实验室引力波实验中心）
We analyze gravitational-wave data from the first LIGO detection of a binary black-hole merger (GW150914) in search of the ringdown of the remnant black hole. Using observations beginning at the peak of the signal, we find evidence of the fundamental quasinormal mode and at least one overtone, both associated with the dominant angular mode ($\ell=m=2$), with $3.6σ$ confidence. A ringdown model including overtones allows us to measure the final mass and spin magnitude of the remnant exclusively from postinspiral data, obtaining an estimate in agreement with the values inferred from the full sig…
Exceptional Points in Quasinormal Spectra of Hairy Black Holes
College of Physics, Sichuan University（四川大学物理学院）；School of Data Science, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Zhejiang College（上海财经大学浙江学院数据科学学院）
Systems consisting of a massive black hole and a stellar-origin compact object (CO), known as extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs), are of great significance for space-based gravitational-wave detectors, as they will allow for testing gravitational theories in the strong field regime, and for checking the validity of the black hole no-hair theorem. In this work, we present a calculation of the EMRI rate and parameter estimation capabilities of the TianQin observatory, for various astrophysical models for these sources. We find that TianQin can observe EMRIs involving COs with mass of 10$M_\odo…
Gravitational radiation from a slightly distorted black hole with ringdown waveform is well understood in general relativity. It provides a probe for direct observation of black holes and determination of their physical parameters, masses and angular momenta (Kerr parameters). For ringdown searches using data of gravitational wave detectors, matched filtering technique is useful. In this paper, we describe studies on problems in matched filtering analysis in realistic gravitational wave searches using observational data. Above all, we focus on template constructions, matches or signal-to-noise…
The black hole uniqueness and the no-hair theorems imply that the quasinormal spectrum of any astrophysical black hole is determined solely by its mass and spin. The countably infinite number of quasinormal modes of a Kerr black hole are thus related to each other and any deviations from these relations provide a strong hint for physics beyond the general theory of relativity. To test the no-hair theorem using ringdown signals, it is necessary to detect at least two quasinormal modes. In particular, one can detect the fundamental mode along with a subdominant overtone or with another angular m…
For a distorted black hole (BH), its ringdown waveform is a superposition of quasi-normal modes (QNMs). In general relativity (GR), the lower order QNM frequencies and damping rates can be well approximated by a polynomial of BH's dimensionless spin and overall scaled by BH's mass. That is to say, we can test the no-hair theorem of BH in GR model-independently by allowing not only an overall fractional deviation (as M. Isi {\it et al.} did) but also a set of fractional deviation for every coefficient. In the paper, we will apply the latter method to retest the no-hair theorem with GW150914 and…
Gravitational wave observations of the ringdown of the remnant black hole in a binary black hole coalescence provide a unique opportunity of confronting the black hole no-hair theorem in general relativity with observational data. The most robust tests are possible if multiple ringdown modes can be observed. In this paper, using state-of-the-art Bayesian inference methods and the most up-to-date knowledge of binary black hole population parameters and ringdown mode amplitudes, we evaluate the prospects for black hole spectroscopy with current and future ground based gravitational wave detector…
The behavior of hairy black hole solutions, obtained by the gravitational decoupling (GD) method, is investigated under scalar perturbations. The quasinormal mode frequencies of such solutions are regulated by GD hair. The numerically generated wave solutions are derived for a range of values for the GD hairy black hole parameters, with higher-frequency modes very sensitive to them. The results are confronted with the corresponding ones for the Schwarzschild solution, whose deviations from it demonstrate a unique physical identification of GD hairy black holes. The method here presented compri…
Echoes of a hairy black hole from gravitational decoupling
Guizhou University of Finance and Economics（贵州财经大学）；Eastern Mediterranean University（东地中海大学）；Universit degli Studi di Salerno（萨莱诺大学）；Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Gruppo Collegato di Salerno - Sezione di Napoli（意大利国家核物理研究所 - 萨莱诺协作组 - 那不勒斯分部）；Guizhou Minzu University（贵州民族大学）；Guizhou University（贵州大学）
Quasinormal Modes and Hawking Radiation of Black Holes with Primary Scalar Hair
Research Centre for Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, Institute of Physics, Silesian University in Opava（奥帕瓦西里西亚大学物理研究所理论物理与天体物理研究中心）；Institute of Cosmology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Tufts University（塔夫茨大学物理与天文学系宇宙学研究所）；Institute of Physics in Opava, Silesian University in Opava（奥帕瓦西里西亚大学奥帕瓦物理研究所）
In light of the current (and future) gravitational wave detections, more sensitive tests of general relativity can be devised. Black hole spectroscopy has long been proposed as a way to test the no-hair theorem, that is, how closely an astrophysical black hole can be described by the Kerr geometry. We use simulations from the Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes project to assess the detectability of one extra quasinormal mode in the ringdown of a binary black hole coalescence, with numbers $(\ell,m,n)$ distinct from the fundamental quadrupolar mode (2,2,0). Our approach uses the complex waveform as …
Gravitational waves are rapidly becoming a very reliable tool for testing alternative theories of gravity. In particular, features in the gravitational wave emission during black hole ringdown phase provide a direct probe of the spacetime outside the black hole. In this article, we consider black holes in ghost-free massive gravity. These black holes generically have scalar hair. We found that a simple coupling between gravitational perturbations and this scalar hair can change the quasinormal ringing of the black hole, and in particular, produce echoes in the emitted gravitational waves. This…
A perturbed black hole rings down by emitting gravitational waves in tones with specific frequencies and durations. Such tones encode prized information about the geometry of the source spacetime and the fundamental nature of gravity, making the measurement of black hole ringdowns a key goal of gravitational wave astronomy. However, this task is plagued by technical challenges that invalidate the naive application of standard data analysis methods and complicate sensitivity projections. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive account of the formalism required to properly carry out ringdown a…
The no-hair conjecture in General Relativity (GR) states that a Kerr black hole (BH) is completely described by its mass and spin. As a consequence, the complex quasi-normal-mode (QNM) frequencies of a binary-black-hole (BBH) ringdown can be uniquely determined by the mass and spin of the remnant object. Conversely, measurement of the QNM frequencies could be an independent test of the no-hair conjecture. This paper extends to spinning BHs earlier work that proposed to test the no-hair conjecture by measuring the complex QNM frequencies of a BBH ringdown using parameterized inspiral-merger-rin…
The "no-hair" theorem states that astrophysical black holes are fully characterised by just two numbers: their mass and spin. The gravitational-wave emission from a perturbed black-hole consists of a superposition of damped sinusoids, known as \textit{quasi-normal modes}. Quasi-normal modes are specified by three integers $(\ell,m,n)$: the $(\ell, m)$ integers describe the angular properties and $(n)$ specifies the (over)tone. If the no-hair theorem holds, the frequencies and damping times of quasi-normal modes are determined uniquely by the mass and spin of the black hole, while phases and am…
Using recent results from numerical relativity simulations of non-spinning binary black hole mergers we revisit the problem of detecting ringdown waveforms and of estimating the source parameters, considering both LISA and Earth-based interferometers. We find that Advanced LIGO and EGO could detect intermediate-mass black holes of mass up to about 1000 solar masses out to a luminosity distance of a few Gpc. For typical multipolar energy distributions, we show that the single-mode ringdown templates presently used for ringdown searches in the LIGO data stream can produce a significant event los…
Newly formed black holes are expected to emit characteristic radiation in the form of quasi-normal modes, called ringdown waves, with discrete frequencies. LISA should be able to detect the ringdown waves emitted by oscillating supermassive black holes throughout the observable Universe. We develop a multi-mode formalism, applicable to any interferometric detectors, for detecting ringdown signals, for estimating black hole parameters from those signals, and for testing the no-hair theorem of general relativity. Focusing on LISA, we use current models of its sensitivity to compute the expected …
Gravitational Memory from Hairy Binary Black Hole Mergers
CERN（欧洲核子研究组织）；KU Leuven（荷语鲁汶大学）；Universitat de València（瓦伦西亚大学）；Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen（蒂宾根大学）；Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”（索非亚大学）；Bulgarian Academy of Sciences（保加利亚科学院）
The final stage of a binary black hole merger is ringdown, in which the system is described by a Kerr black hole with quasinormal mode perturbations. It is far from straightforward to identify the time at which the ringdown begins. Yet determining this time is important for precision tests of the general theory of relativity that compare an observed signal with quasinormal mode descriptions of the ringdown, such as tests of the no-hair theorem. We present an algorithmic method to analyze the choice of ringdown start time in the observed waveform. This method is based on determining how close t…
The final ringdown phase in a coalescence process is a valuable laboratory to test General Relativity and potentially constrain additional degrees of freedom in the gravitational sector. We introduce here an effective description for perturbations around spherically symmetric spacetimes in the context of scalar-tensor theories, which we apply to study quasi-normal modes for black holes with scalar hair. We derive the equations of motion governing the dynamics of both the polar and the axial modes in terms of the coefficients of the effective theory. Assuming the deviation of the background fro…
