{
  "abstract": "Gravitational waves (GWs) provide a powerful, theory-independent probe of the dynamical structure of spacetime and the cosmological background. We investigate the propagation of linearized tensor modes in k-essence cosmology, where the dark sector is described by a non-canonical scalar field. Working in the high-frequency (short-wavelength) limit on a Friedmann-Lema\\^ıtre-Robertson-Walker background and restricting to the transverse-traceless sector, we obtain a modified evolution equation in which the GW speed remains strictly luminal (compatible with GW170817), while the background field $\\barϕ$ generates a time-dependent effective mass term $m_{\\rm eff}$. This background-induced mass alters the dispersion relation without introducing extra propagating degrees of freedom, producing an accumulated, frequency-dependent phase shift over cosmological distances. We show that $m_{\\rm eff}$ is uniquely determined by background cosmological parameters and can be expressed as a redshift-dependent function $m_{\\rm eff}(z)$, providing a direct connection between GW observables and scalar-field dynamics. The GW luminosity distance stays identical to the electromagnetic one, preserving standard-siren consistency. We confront the model with a joint Bayesian analysis combining cosmic chronometers, BAO, Pantheon+SH0ES, and standard-siren measurements from GWTC-2.1/3/4, and assess performance using $χ^2$, $χ^2_{\\rm red}$, AIC, BIC, and DIC. The reconstruction is consistent with current data, reproduces the late-time expansion history, and provides data-driven constraints on the redshift evolution of $m_{\\rm eff}(z)$.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2605.25466",
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Sougata Bhunia"
    },
    {
      "name": "Goutam Manna"
    },
    {
      "name": "Eduardo Guendelman"
    },
    {
      "name": "Debashis Gangopadhyay"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ramón Herrera"
    },
    {
      "name": "Abhijit Bhattacharyya"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/32q9sa6c6mqv3.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2605.25466",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "32q9sa6c6mqv3",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.25466",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-SA 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.CO"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "gr-qc"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2605.25466",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-18",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/32q9sa6c6mqv3.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:30:52Z",
      "native_id": "2605.25466",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.25466"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.CO",
      "subfield": "cosmology"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:gr-qc",
      "subfield": "gravitation"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Gravitational Wave Propagation in K-essence Cosmology: Theory and Observational Constraints",
  "title_text": "Gravitational Wave Propagation in K-essence Cosmology: Theory and Observational Constraints",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:33:41Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/32q9sa6c6mqv3",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": [
    {
      "doi": "10.1103/j6fc-jbkj",
      "pid": null,
      "relation": "published-as",
      "title": null,
      "venue": null
    }
  ]
}