Impact of Correlations on the Modeling and Inference of Beyond Vacuum-GR Effects in Extreme-Mass-Ratio Inspirals

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Main Authors: Kejriwal, Shubham, Speri, Lorenzo, Chua, Alvin J. K.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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author Kejriwal, Shubham
Speri, Lorenzo
Chua, Alvin J. K.
author_facet Kejriwal, Shubham
Speri, Lorenzo
Chua, Alvin J. K.
contents In gravitational-wave astronomy, extreme-mass-ratio-inspiral (EMRI) sources for the upcoming LISA observatory have the potential to serve as high-precision probes of astrophysical environments in galactic nuclei, and of potential deviations from general relativity (GR). Such ``beyond vacuum-GR'' effects are often modeled as perturbations to the evolution of vacuum EMRIs under GR. Previous studies have reported unprecedented constraints on these effects by examining the inference of one effect at a time. However, a more realistic analysis would require the simultaneous inference of multiple beyond vacuum-GR effects. The parameters describing such effects are generally significantly correlated with each other and the vacuum EMRI parameters. We explicitly show how these correlations remain even if any modeled effect is absent in the actual signal, and how they cause inference bias when any effect in the signal is absent in the analysis model. This worsens the overall measurability of the whole parameter set, challenging the constraints found by previous studies, and posing a general problem for the modeling and inference of beyond vacuum-GR effects in EMRIs.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2312_13028
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Impact of Correlations on the Modeling and Inference of Beyond Vacuum-GR Effects in Extreme-Mass-Ratio Inspirals
Kejriwal, Shubham
Speri, Lorenzo
Chua, Alvin J. K.
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
In gravitational-wave astronomy, extreme-mass-ratio-inspiral (EMRI) sources for the upcoming LISA observatory have the potential to serve as high-precision probes of astrophysical environments in galactic nuclei, and of potential deviations from general relativity (GR). Such ``beyond vacuum-GR'' effects are often modeled as perturbations to the evolution of vacuum EMRIs under GR. Previous studies have reported unprecedented constraints on these effects by examining the inference of one effect at a time. However, a more realistic analysis would require the simultaneous inference of multiple beyond vacuum-GR effects. The parameters describing such effects are generally significantly correlated with each other and the vacuum EMRI parameters. We explicitly show how these correlations remain even if any modeled effect is absent in the actual signal, and how they cause inference bias when any effect in the signal is absent in the analysis model. This worsens the overall measurability of the whole parameter set, challenging the constraints found by previous studies, and posing a general problem for the modeling and inference of beyond vacuum-GR effects in EMRIs.
title Impact of Correlations on the Modeling and Inference of Beyond Vacuum-GR Effects in Extreme-Mass-Ratio Inspirals
topic General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.13028