First astrometric constraints on parity-violation in the gravitational wave background

2025/05/23 by Jaraba, Santiago, Kuroyanagi, Sachiko, Liang, Qiuyue +2 · 2 citations
#Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO) #FOS: Physical sciences #General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)

paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2505.18085

Abstract

Astrometry, the precise measurement of stellar positions and velocities, offers a promising approach to probing the low-frequency stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB). Notably, astrometric vector sky maps are sensitive to parity-violating SGWB signals, which cannot be distinguished using pulsar timing array observations in an isotropic SGWB. We present the first astrometric constraints on parity-violating SGWB using quasar catalogs from Gaia DR3 and VLBA data. By analyzing the EB correlation in the two-point correlation function of the proper motions of the quasars, we find 2σ constraints on the parity-violating SGWB amplitude h₇₀²Ω_V = -0.020 ± 0.025 from Gaia DR3 and h₇₀²Ω_V = -0.004 ± 0.010 from VLBA. These constraints are valid in the frequency range 4.2 × 10^-18 \rm Hz < f < 1.1 × 10^-8 \rm Hz. Although not currently a tight constraint on theoretical models, this first attempt lays the groundwork for future investigations using more precise astrometric data.

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Cited by

• Detecting Parity-Violating Gravitational Wave Backgrounds with Pulsar Polarization Arrays
• Beyond general relativity: gravitational waves in non-minimally coupled theories

Related

• Stochastic gravitational wave background constraints from Gaia DR3 astrometry
• A New Approach to the Low Frequency Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background: Constraints from Quasars and the Astrometric Hellings-Downs Curve
• Gaia 400,894 QSO constraint on the energy density of low-frequency gravitational waves
• A New Probe of Gravitational Parity Violation Through (Non-)Observation of the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background
• Astrometry meets Pulsar Timing Arrays: Synergies for Gravitational Wave Detection