24–28 Aug 2026
Leiden University
Europe/Zurich timezone

Gravitational-Wave Propagation Through the Axiverse

Not scheduled
20m
Gorlaeus gebouw (Leiden University)

Gorlaeus gebouw

Leiden University

Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden
Talk Gravitational Waves

Speaker

Leah Jenks (Johns Hopkins University)

Description

In this talk I will discuss how oscillating ultralight scalar and pseudoscalar fields affect the propagation of gravitational waves (GWs). I will consider two couplings of the (pseudo)scalars to gravity; a parity-even Gauss-Bonnet coupling, and parity-odd Chern-Simons coupling, and show that these fields induce distinctive signatures at both the population and individual GW event levels. These effects are controlled by the (pseudo)scalar mass and are characterized by oscillatory features in the redshift distribution of observed GW parameters and the waveform itself. Finally, I will discuss how these features can be probed in both the ground-based, and space-based detector regimes, providing a new window into gravitationally coupled ultralight fields.

Author

Leah Jenks (Johns Hopkins University)

Presentation materials

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