Observational prospects of self-interacting scalar superradiance with next-generation gravitational-wave detectors

Understand

Current- and next-generation gravitational-wave observatories may reveal new, ultralight bosons.

• Through the superradiance process, these theoretical particle candidates can form clouds around astrophysical black holes and result in detectable gravitational-wave radiation.
• In the absence of detections, constraints$-$contingent on astrophysical assumptions$-$have been derived using LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA data on boson masses.
• However, the searches for ultralight scalars to date have not adequately considered self-interactions between particles.