Anjali Kugarajh "Scalar-Induced Gravitational Waves as a probe for Modified Gravity"

Wednesday 26 Nov 2025, 12:30 → 14:00 Europe/Rome

An open question to answer is if we can use gravitational waves (GWs) to probe beyond General Relativity. Due to their weak interaction with matter, we hope to observe Primordial GWs which come in the form of a stochastic background (SGWB). One contribution to the latter arises from second-order effects and coupling of scalar fluctuations, known as “scalar-induced” GWs (SIGWs). In this talk, I present computations of the behavior of SIGW in modified gravity, specifically considering the f(R) modified gravity model. We concentrate on the understanding the effect of the first-order corrections to the source term and power spectrum w.r.t. General Relativity. By comparing the results of standard cosmology to its modification, we can see the order of the effect and how observations of this signature can help in improving our understanding.