Abstract:
Scalar fields are ubiquitous in extensions of Einstein's theory of gravity or the Standard Model of particle physics. Light scalars have also been suggested as potential explanations for dark energy or dark matter. If a scalar field endows compact stars or black holes with a monopole charge, the inspiral behavior of compact binaries can be significantly affected, making gravitational waves a promising probe of new fundamental scalars. In this talk, I will review the modeling of gravitational waves in the presence of massive scalars, and discuss the special difficulties as well as solutions for constraining the scalar charge at nonzero field masses. I will then present the first model-agnostic Bayesian search of massive scalar fields in the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA catalog. The analysis is further applied to massive scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity, for which the most up-to-date constraint will be presented as an example.
