Scale Invariant Gravity and Black Hole Ringdown

Abstract

Scale invariant theories of gravity give a compelling explanation to the early and late time acceleration of the Universe. Unlike most scalar-tensor theories, fifth forces are absent and it would therefore seem impossible to distinguish scale invariant gravity from general relativity. We show that the ringdown of a Schwarschild-de Sitter black hole may have a set of massive modes which are characteristic of scale invariant gravity. In principle these new modes can be used to distinguish scale invariant gravity from general relativity. In practice, we discuss the obstacles to generating these new massive modes and their detectability with future gravitational wave experiments but also speculate on their role in Kerr black holes.