{
  "abstract": "Many higher-derivative theories predict stronger deviations from General Relativity for lower-mass black holes, while their nonlinear field equations often prevent reliable simulations of the full binary evolution. Here we develop a route from controlled black hole perturbation theory based on the modified Teukolsky formalism to comparable-mass waveforms, using parity-even cubic gravity as a representative example. We find that the tidal response of the secondary black hole enters at the same perturbative order as the direct higher-curvature correction and is therefore essential for a consistent leading-order waveform. The resulting strong-field fluxes and conservative dynamics produce an accumulated inspiral dephasing that grows toward merger. Embedding this test-mass information into an effective-one-body model, we construct inspiral-merger-ringdown waveforms for comparable-mass binaries and find coupling-dependent dephasing and waveform-peak shifts. Our results demonstrate how strong-field test-mass calculations can anchor waveform models for higher-derivative gravity when theory-specific numerical-relativity simulations are unavailable.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2609.11726",
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Chaoyi Yang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Neev Khera"
    },
    {
      "name": "Dongjun Li"
    },
    {
      "name": "Huan Yang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7dv2ts78kxaq4.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.11726",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "7dv2ts78kxaq4",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.11726",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "gr-qc"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7212314630",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.11726",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-16",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7dv2ts78kxaq4.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:30:32Z",
      "native_id": "2609.11726",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.11726"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:gr-qc",
      "subfield": "gravitation"
    }
  ],
  "title": "From the Test-Mass Limit to Binary Black-Hole Waveforms in Higher-Derivative Gravity",
  "title_text": "From the Test-Mass Limit to Binary Black-Hole Waveforms in Higher-Derivative Gravity",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:33:28Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7dv2ts78kxaq4",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}