A Gaussian Process Framework for Testing General Relativity with Gravitational Waves

Abstract Gravitational-wave astronomy provides a promising avenue for the discovery of new physics beyond general relativity as it probes extreme curvature and ultrarelativistic dynamics. However, in the absence of a compelling alternative to general relativity, it is difficult to carry out an analysis that allows for a wide range of deviations. To that end, we introduce a Gaussian process framework to search for deviations from general relativity in gravitational-wave signals from binary black hole mergers with minimal assumptions. We employ a kernel that enforces our prior beliefs that—if gravitational waveforms deviate from the predictions of general relativity—the deviation is likely to be localised in time near the merger with some characteristic frequency. We demonstrate this formalism with simulated data and apply it to events from the Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog 3. We find no evidence for a deviation from general relativity. We limit the fractional deviation in gravitational-wave strain to as low as 7% (90% credibility) of the strain of GW190701_203306.