Gravitational Wave Effective Theory with Curvature Corrections

We systematically add long-distance curvature corrections, generated as particles travel along

geodesics, to standard gravitational wave effective theory. These corrections are often significant

when particles propagate in strong, background gravitational fields, i.e. near compact objects such as

black holes and neutron stars. To generate these corrections, we construct Wilson lines, and other

novel comparators, which relate non-locally separated patches of local Minkowski spacetime and

whose path dependence produces the curvature corrections. We describe how the leading curvature

corrections modify the operators in the effective lagrangian in the final patch of local Minkowski

space. In particular, we highlight, before the breakdown of the effective theory, how the Planck

mass-suppressed coupling between gravitational waves and the energy-momentum tensor can become

significantly enhanced. In addition to the energy-momentum tensor,

we also consider other higher-order, Planck mass-suppressed operators with results that suggest there

are regions of parameter space which may be relevant for probing these operators. We conclude with

some consequences for understanding entangled states as well as future astrophysical observations,

especially for novel multi-observational approaches for detecting astrophysical phenomena.