Gravitational-Wave Fringes at LIGO: Detecting Compact Dark Matter by Gravitational Lensing

2017/12/31 by Sunghoon Jung, Chang Sub Shin · 160 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Dark matter #Galaxy #Gravitational lens #Gravitational redshift #Gravitational wave #Gravitational-wave observatory #LIGO #Physics #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Redshift #Weak gravitational lensing #astro-ph.CO #gr-qc #hep-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.122.041103

published in Physical Review Letters 122(4), 041103 (American Physical Society) · 6 pages, 5 figures, v2: published version, Fig.5 updated with Poisson distribution, improved discussion on the optical depth

arxiv created 2019/01/08 · openalex publication_date 2019/01/30 · arxiv updated 2019/02/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

Utilizing gravitational-wave (GW) lensing opens a new way to understand the small-scale structure of the Universe. We show that, in spite of its coarse angular resolution and short duration of observation, LIGO can detect the GW lensing induced by small structures, in particular by compact dark matter (DM) or the primordial black hole of 10-10⁵ M_⊙, which remains an interesting DM candidate. The lensing is detected through GW frequency chirping, creating the natural and rapid change of lensing patterns: frequency-dependent amplification and modulation of GW waveforms. As a highest-frequency GW detector, LIGO is a unique GW lab to probe such light compact DM. With the design sensitivity of Advanced LIGO, one-year observation by three detectors can optimistically constrain the compact DM density fraction f_DM to the level of a few percent.

Citations

• Limits on the Macho content of the Galactic Halo from the EROS-2 Survey of the Magellanic Clouds
• Small-scale clumps in the galactic halo and dark matter annihilation
• Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger
• The first gravitational-wave source from the isolated evolution of two stars in the 40–100 solar mass range
• GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral
• Limits on Stellar-Mass Compact Objects as Dark Matter from Gravitational Lensing of Type Ia Supernovae

Cited by

• Gravitational wave interference via gravitational lensing: Measurements of luminosity distance, lens mass, and cosmological parameters
• Lensing by primordial black holes: constraints from gravitational wave observations