Toward claiming a detection of gravitational memory
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arXiv
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| Auteurs principaux: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Publié: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866917461823062016 |
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| author | Zosso, Jann Zertuche, Lorena Magaña Gasparotto, Silvia Cogez, Adrien Inchauspé, Henri Jacobs, Milo |
| author_facet | Zosso, Jann Zertuche, Lorena Magaña Gasparotto, Silvia Cogez, Adrien Inchauspé, Henri Jacobs, Milo |
| contents | Gravitational memory is a zero-frequency effect associated with a permanent change in the asymptotic spacetime metric induced by radiation. Although its universal manifestation is a net change in the proper distances between freely falling test masses, gravitational wave detectors are intrinsically insensitive to the final offset and can only probe the transition. A central challenge for any detection claim is therefore to define a physically meaningful and operationally robust model of the time-dependent signal that is uniquely attributable to gravitational memory and distinguishable from purely oscillatory radiation. We show that while the Bondi-van der Burg-Metzner-Sachs balance laws rigorously establish the total memory offset, a robust definition of the observable memory rise requires an additional physical input: a separation of scales between high-frequency gravitational waves and the lower-frequency buildup of memory. We formulate this separation using the Isaacson description of gravitational wave energy momentum. Motivated by this observation, we develop a theoretical framework for defining and modeling the time-dependent memory rise, building on a self-contained review of gravitational memory and focusing on compact binary coalescences. Specializing to space-based detectors, we analyze the LISA response to gravitational radiation including memory, with emphasis on mergers of supermassive black hole binaries, which offer the most promising prospects for a first single-event detection. The framework provides the theoretical foundation for statistically well-defined hypothesis testing between memory-free and memory-full radiation and enables quantitative assessments of detection prospects. These results establish a principled pathway toward a future observational claim of gravitational memory. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_23019 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Toward claiming a detection of gravitational memory Zosso, Jann Zertuche, Lorena Magaña Gasparotto, Silvia Cogez, Adrien Inchauspé, Henri Jacobs, Milo General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Gravitational memory is a zero-frequency effect associated with a permanent change in the asymptotic spacetime metric induced by radiation. Although its universal manifestation is a net change in the proper distances between freely falling test masses, gravitational wave detectors are intrinsically insensitive to the final offset and can only probe the transition. A central challenge for any detection claim is therefore to define a physically meaningful and operationally robust model of the time-dependent signal that is uniquely attributable to gravitational memory and distinguishable from purely oscillatory radiation. We show that while the Bondi-van der Burg-Metzner-Sachs balance laws rigorously establish the total memory offset, a robust definition of the observable memory rise requires an additional physical input: a separation of scales between high-frequency gravitational waves and the lower-frequency buildup of memory. We formulate this separation using the Isaacson description of gravitational wave energy momentum. Motivated by this observation, we develop a theoretical framework for defining and modeling the time-dependent memory rise, building on a self-contained review of gravitational memory and focusing on compact binary coalescences. Specializing to space-based detectors, we analyze the LISA response to gravitational radiation including memory, with emphasis on mergers of supermassive black hole binaries, which offer the most promising prospects for a first single-event detection. The framework provides the theoretical foundation for statistically well-defined hypothesis testing between memory-free and memory-full radiation and enables quantitative assessments of detection prospects. These results establish a principled pathway toward a future observational claim of gravitational memory. |
| title | Toward claiming a detection of gravitational memory |
| topic | General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.23019 |