Paper published by B. P. Abbott et al. (LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration) in Physical Review Letters.

Search for Tensor, Vector, and Scalar Polarizations in the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background

The detection of gravitational waves with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo has enabled novel tests of general relativity, including direct study of the polarization of gravitational waves. While general relativity allows for only two tensor gravitational-wave polarizations, general metric theories can additionally predict two vector and two scalar polarizations. The polarization of gravitational waves is encoded in the spectral shape of the stochastic gravitational-wave background, formed by the superposition of cosmological and individually unresolved astrophysical sources. Using data recorded by Advanced LIGO during its first observing run, we search for a stochastic background of generically polarized gravitational waves. We find no evidence for a background of any polarization, and place the first direct bounds on the contributions of vector and scalar polarizations to the stochastic background.

Figure 1 from the paper. Overlap reduction functions representing the Advanced LIGO network’s sensitivity to stochastic backgrounds of tensor (blue), vector (red), and scalar-polarized (green) gravitational waves.

Paper link available below at citation information

Citation:

B. P. Abbott et al. (LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration)
Search for Tensor, Vector, and Scalar Polarizations in the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background
Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 201102
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.201102
Published data: 16/05/2018