{
  "abstract": "Gravitational-wave observations of compact-binary inspirals offer the opportunity to test deviations from general relativity in both strong and weak-field regimes. In previous work, we developed a theory-independent formalism for describing compact-binary dynamics in metric theories of gravity without preferred frames, using the parametrised post-Newtonian (PPN) couplings together with an additional set of scalar sensitivity parameters that encode violations of the strong equivalence principle. Here, we extend this framework to include preferred-frame effects, of the type that can arise in (for example) vector-tensor theories of gravity. This is achieved by introducing a time-like vector field that identifies the preferred frame, and then by allowing compact body masses to depend on the invariant formed from this field and the body's four-velocity. We calculate the modified equation of motion up to first post-Newtonian order (1PN), where the preferred-frame PPN parameters $α_1$ and $α_2$ acquire contributions from our new vector sensitivities. We further combine scalar and vector sensitivities in a unified formalism, which we validate with an example scalar-vector-tensor theory. This approach provides the orbital dynamics required to extend gravitational-wave constraints on PPN and sensitivity parameters to theories of gravity that admit preferred frames, as well as those that do not.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2609.12784",
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Oliver Pitt"
    },
    {
      "name": "Timothy Clifton"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f87x5svchx96g.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.12784",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "f87x5svchx96g",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.12784",
  "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": "W7212808510",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.12784",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-11",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f87x5svchx96g.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:07Z",
      "native_id": "2609.12784",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.12784"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:gr-qc",
      "subfield": "gravitation"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Compact binary systems in the post-Newtonian limit of gravitational theories with preferred frames",
  "title_text": "Compact binary systems in the post-Newtonian limit of gravitational theories with preferred frames",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:21:07Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f87x5svchx96g",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}