Gravitational wave constraints on quantum gravity: tidal deformation and binary merger signatures

Abstract

Gravitational wave constraints were investigated on quantum gravity effects through the Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP), focusing on tidal deformability modifications in neutron star binary systems. Our comprehensive analysis demonstrates that GUP corrections systematically alter the Love numbers characterising stellar response to external tidal fields, leading to measurable changes in gravitational wave phase evolution during the inspiral phase of binary mergers. Employing detailed stellar structure calculations with GUP-modified equations of state, we compute the tidal deformability parameter  for neutron stars across the observed mass range  and rigorously assess the detectability of quantum gravity signatures with current and next-generation gravitational wave detectors. Through Bayesian parameter estimation using data from GW170817 and subsequent LIGO-Virgo detections, we derive the constraint  at 95% confidence level on the GUP parameter, representing the most stringent gravitational wave limit to date. Our projections indicate that third-generation detectors, including Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer, will enhance this sensitivity by more than an order of magnitude, potentially reaching  through analysis of approximately 1000 neutron star merger observations accumulated over five years of operation. These results establish gravitational wave astronomy as a powerful probe of fundamental physics, demonstrating the complementary nature of multi-messenger constraints on quantum gravity theories and providing crucial guidance for theoretical developments in the quantum gravity research program.