Scalar fields around black hole binaries in LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA

Abstract

Light scalar particles arise naturally in many extensions of the Standard Model and are compelling dark-matter candidates. Gravitational interactions near black holes can trigger the growth of dense scalar configurations that, if sustained during inspiral, alter binary dynamics and imprint signatures on gravitational-wave signals. Detecting such effects would provide a novel probe of fundamental physics and dark matter. Here we develop a semi-analytic waveform model for binaries in scalar environments, validate it against numerical relativity simulations, and apply it in a Bayesian analysis of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA catalog. We obtain physically meaningful upper limits on scalar densities around most compact binaries. For GW190728 and GW190814, vacuum lies outside the $95\%$ credible region. When including superradiance priors, GW190728 shows tentative evidence for a scalar environment with a Bayes factor of $\ln \mathrm{B}^{\rm env}_{\rm vac} \approx 3.5$, consistent with a light scalar of mass $\sim10^{-12}\,\mathrm{eV}$.