GWTC-5.0: Tests of General Relativity
Abstract
The signals from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA network of gravitational-wave (GW) detectors allow us to perform sensitive tests of general relativity (GR) in the dynamical and strong-field regime of gravity. We present the results of seven tests of GR using the observed binary signals in the fifth GW Transient Catalog (GWTC-5.0), i.e., up to and including the second part of the fourth observing run (O4b). We restrict our analysis to the confident signals, henceforth called events, observed by at least two detectors that have estimated false alarm rates ≤ 10−3 yr−1. These include 72 events from O4b and five events from the first part of the fourth observing run that are now analyzed due to their increased significance from updated search results, bringing the total number of events for tests of GR in the cumulative GWTC to 168. After subtracting the best-fit waveforms, we find the residuals are consistent with detector noise for all events considered. We also find no strong evidence for additional polarizations beyond those predicted by GR. We perform tests of GW generation, improving the constraints on deviations from the GR post-Newtonian coefficients by factors of 1.2-2.6. Finally, we find overall consistency of the remnants with GR using both time- and frequency-domain methods. For GW240621_195059, postmerger data are consistent with the dominant quadrupolar (ℓ=|m|=2) mode of a Kerr black hole and its first overtone, with spurious high-frequency content preventing a spectroscopic constraint of GR. In the frequency-domain ringdown analysis, the GR prediction lies in the tails of the combined results, possibly due to the limited catalog size. However, the combined results indicate improved consistency with GR over GWTC-4.0, owing to the contribution of GW250114 with a network matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 76.9. Overall, we find no evidence for physics beyond GR.
Related
- The impact of spin priors on parameterized tests of general relativity
- Biases in Ringdown Tests of General Relativity from Gravitational-Wave Microlensing
- Testing Source Dependence in Gravitational-Wave Tests of General Relativity with Mutual Information
- A parametrized test of general relativity for inspiralling eccentric binaries in LISA
- Evidence for deviation in gravitational light deflection from general relativity at cosmological scales with KiDS-Legacy and CMB lensing
BibTeX
@misc{collaboration2026gwtc50,
title = {{GWTC-5.0: Tests of General Relativity}},
author = {T K ND TPC collaboration and T K ND TPC collaboration and T K ND TPC collaboration and Adrian Abac and A. Abe and I. Abouelfettouh and F. Acernese and K. Ackley and A. Adam and S. Adhicary and D. Adhikari and R. X. Adhikari and V. K. Adkins and S. Afroz and A. Agapito and D. Agarwal and M. Agathos and Nancy Aggarwal and S. Aggarwal and O. D. Aguiar and I.-L. Ahrend and L. Aiello and A Ain and P. Ajith and T.Akutsu and L. Albers and W. Ali and S. Al-Kershi and C. Allene and A Allocca and S. Al-Shammari and J. A. Alvarez and S. Álvarez-López and W. Amar and O. Amarasinghe and A. Amato and F. Amicucci and Claude Amra and A. B. Anand and C. Anand and A. Ananyeva and S. B. Anderson and Warren G. Anderson and M. Andia and M. Ando and F. Andrade-Oliveira and M. Andrés-Carcasona and J. L. Andrey and T. Andrić and J. Anglin and J. Anna and J. M. Antelis and S. Antier and T. Aoki and M. Aoumi and E.Z Appavuravther and E. Appelt and S. Appert and S. K. Apple and K Arai},
howpublished = {arXiv (Cornell University)},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2607.19293},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.19293},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - GWTC-5.0: Tests of General Relativity
AU - T K ND TPC collaboration
AU - T K ND TPC collaboration
AU - T K ND TPC collaboration
AU - Adrian Abac
AU - A. Abe
AU - I. Abouelfettouh
AU - F. Acernese
AU - K. Ackley
AU - A. Adam
AU - S. Adhicary
AU - D. Adhikari
AU - R. X. Adhikari
AU - V. K. Adkins
AU - S. Afroz
AU - A. Agapito
AU - D. Agarwal
AU - M. Agathos
AU - Nancy Aggarwal
AU - S. Aggarwal
AU - O. D. Aguiar
AU - I.-L. Ahrend
AU - L. Aiello
AU - A Ain
AU - P. Ajith
AU - T.Akutsu
AU - L. Albers
AU - W. Ali
AU - S. Al-Kershi
AU - C. Allene
AU - A Allocca
AU - S. Al-Shammari
AU - J. A. Alvarez
AU - S. Álvarez-López
AU - W. Amar
AU - O. Amarasinghe
AU - A. Amato
AU - F. Amicucci
AU - Claude Amra
AU - A. B. Anand
AU - C. Anand
AU - A. Ananyeva
AU - S. B. Anderson
AU - Warren G. Anderson
AU - M. Andia
AU - M. Ando
AU - F. Andrade-Oliveira
AU - M. Andrés-Carcasona
AU - J. L. Andrey
AU - T. Andrić
AU - J. Anglin
AU - J. Anna
AU - J. M. Antelis
AU - S. Antier
AU - T. Aoki
AU - M. Aoumi
AU - E.Z Appavuravther
AU - E. Appelt
AU - S. Appert
AU - S. K. Apple
AU - K Arai
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/21
PB - arXiv (Cornell University)
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2607.19293
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.19293
AB - The signals from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA network of gravitational-wave (GW) detectors allow us to perform sensitive tests of general relativity (GR) in the dynamical and strong-field regime of gravity. We present the results of seven tests of GR using the observed binary signals in the fifth GW Transient Catalog (GWTC-5.0), i.e., up to and including the second part of the fourth observing run (O4b). We restrict our analysis to the confident signals, henceforth called events, observed by at least two detectors that have estimated false alarm rates ≤ 10^−3 yr^−1. These include 72 events from O4b and five events from the first part of the fourth observing run that are now analyzed due to their increased significance from updated search results, bringing the total number of events for tests of GR in the cumulative GWTC to 168. After subtracting the best-fit waveforms, we find the residuals are consistent with detector noise for all events considered. We also find no strong evidence for additional polarizations beyond those predicted by GR. We perform tests of GW generation, improving the constraints on deviations from the GR post-Newtonian coefficients by factors of 1.2-2.6. Finally, we find overall consistency of the remnants with GR using both time- and frequency-domain methods. For GW240621_195059, postmerger data are consistent with the dominant quadrupolar (ℓ=|m|=2) mode of a Kerr black hole and its first overtone, with spurious high-frequency content preventing a spectroscopic constraint of GR. In the frequency-domain ringdown analysis, the GR prediction lies in the tails of the combined results, possibly due to the limited catalog size. However, the combined results indicate improved consistency with GR over GWTC-4.0, owing to the contribution of GW250114 with a network matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 76.9. Overall, we find no evidence for physics beyond GR.
SN - 2331-8422
ER -