Finding cosmic anisotropy with networks of next-generation gravitational-wave detectors

The standard cosmological model requires the assumption of isotropy and homogeneity, a principle that is generally well-motivated but is now in conflict with various anisotropies found using independent astrophysical probes. These anisotropies tend to take the form of dipoles; while some can be explained by kinematic effects such as Earth's motion, many others are not fully understood. One effect of a generic, non-kinematic anisotropy is a dipole in luminosity distance measurements. In this talk, I will demonstrate how such a dipole could be measured or constrained using one year of binary neutron star merger observations for six networks of gravitational-wave detectors that include ground-based, next-generation interferometers. Our findings indicate that next-generation observations of binary neutron stars could result in either comparable or improved constraints on a generic dipole when compared to other measurements obtained through electromagnetic observations.