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Probing higher curvature gravity via ringdown with overtones

Keisuke Nakashi1,2, Masashi Kimura3,2, Hayato Motohashi4,5, and Kazufumi Takahashi6,5

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 104026 – Published 12 May, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/gv7l-hr54

Abstract

We investigate metric perturbations of a spherically symmetric black hole in higher curvature gravity. We show that higher curvature corrections deform the near-horizon region of the effective potential, and that the deviations of the quasinormal mode (QNM) frequencies from their general relativity (GR) values become more pronounced for overtone modes. We find that, as the order of the higher curvature term increases, the deformations approach the horizon and the deviations of the overtone QNM frequencies grow progressively larger. We also analyze the ringdown waveforms in the higher curvature gravity model. We consider setups in which the deviations from the vacuum-GR QNMs remain mild for the fundamental mode and the first few overtones, and show that these shifted QNMs can be identified in the ringdown signal through waveform fitting.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 104026– Published 12 May, 2026
  • Received 13 January 2026
  • Accepted 9 April 2026
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