Search Publications

Upper limit on the axion-photon coupling from magnetic white dwarf polarization

Safdi, Benjamin R.; Dessert, Christopher; Dunsky, David

Polarization measurements of thermal radiation from magnetic white dwarf (MWD) stars have been proposed as a probe of axion-photon mixing. The radiation leaving the surface of the MWD is unpolarized, but if low-mass axions exist then photons polarized parallel to the direction of the MWD's magnetic field may convert into axions, which induces a li…

Constraining the stochastic gravitational wave background with photometric surveys

Doré, Olivier; Wang, Yijun; Pardo, Kris +1 more

The detection of the stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) is essential for understanding black hole populations, especially for supermassive black hole binaries. The recent promising results from various pulsar timing array (PTA) collaborations allude to an imminent detection. In this paper, we investigate the relative astrometric gravi…

Uncovering a hidden black hole binary from secular eccentricity variations of a tertiary star

Liu, Bin; D'Orazio, Daniel J.; Vigna-Gómez, Alejandro +1 more

We study the dynamics of a solar-type star orbiting around a black hole binary (BHB) in a nearly coplanar system. We present a novel effect that can prompt a growth and significant oscillations of the eccentricity of the stellar orbit when the system encounters an "apsidal precession resonance," where the apsidal precession rate of the outer stell…