LISA, binary stars, and the mass of the graviton

Curt Cutler, William A. Hiscock, and Shane L. Larson
Phys. Rev. D 67, 024015 – Published 16 January 2003
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Abstract

We extend and improve earlier estimates of the ability of the proposed LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) gravitational wave detector to place upper bounds on the graviton mass mg by comparing the arrival times of gravitational and electromagnetic signals from binary star systems. We show that the best possible limit on mg obtainable this way is 50 times better than the current limit set by solar system measurements. Among currently known, well-understood binaries, 4U1820-30 is the best for this purpose; LISA observations of 4U1820-30 should yield a limit 34 times better than the present solar system bound. AM CVn-type binaries offer the prospect of improving the limit by a factor of 10, if such systems can be better understood by the time of the LISA mission. We briefly discuss the likelihood that radio and optical searches during the next decade will yield binaries that more closely approach the best possible case.

  • Received 26 September 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.67.024015

©2003 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Curt Cutler*

  • Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Albert-Einstein-Institut, Am Muehlenberg 1, D-14476 Golm bei Potsdam, Germany

William A. Hiscock

  • Department of Physics, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717

Shane L. Larson

  • Space Radiation Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125

  • *Electronic address: cutler@aei-potsdam.mpg.de
  • Electronic address: hiscock@physics.montana.edu
  • Electronic address: shane@srl.caltech.edu

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Issue

Vol. 67, Iss. 2 — 15 January 2003

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