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Sensitivity of weak lensing surveys to gravitational waves from inspiraling supermassive black hole binaries

Tal Adi1,*, Kris Pardo1, and Olivier Doré2,3

  • *Contact author: taladi@usc.edu
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Phys. Rev. D 113, 103543 – Published 28 May, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/lnsk-3xc7

Abstract

We explore the sensitivity of weak lensing surveys to gravitational waves (GWs) emitted by inspiraling supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) in the nanohertz to microhertz frequency band, bridging the gap between pulsar timing arrays and space-based interferometers. Building on the formalism for GW-induced shear distortions, we develop a signal-to-noise framework that incorporates survey characteristics such as cadence, angular resolution, and depth. We model the effective galaxy population to evaluate the noise power spectral density and derive characteristic strain sensitivity curves. Applying this framework to both LSST-like and idealized survey configurations, we show that current surveys are limited by angular resolution and measurement noise, while an idealized, cosmic-variance-limited survey could in principle probe this frequency range. We emphasize that such sensitivity requires observational capabilities far beyond those of existing or planned facilities, and our results should be interpreted as an ultimate limit on the information accessible through weak lensing measurements.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 103543– Published 28 May, 2026
  • Received 8 January 2026
  • Accepted 12 May 2026
Article part of CHORUS
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