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Narrowing down sources of high-frequency gravitational waves

Asher Berlin1,2,*, Dawid Brzeminski3,†, and Erwin H. Tanin4,‡

  • *Contact author: aberlin@fnal.gov
  • †Contact author: dawid@umich.edu
  • ‡Contact author: ehtanin@stanford.edu
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Phys. Rev. D 114, 043015 – Published 7 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/rxmf-m5k9

Abstract

Detecting gravitational waves above 100 kHz would constitute a major discovery, as any observable signal would have to arise from new physics within the late universe. Although many technologies have been identified to explore this high-frequency regime, the known landscape of promising sources remains extremely sparse. In this work, we aim to rectify this issue by providing model-independent arguments that highlight the most interesting parts of theory space, while remaining agnostic of the specific signal mechanism. For example, energy-conservation implies that gravitational waves detectable by future experiments well above a MHz would most likely have to originate from within the Solar System. Based on these arguments, we also constrain the physical properties of such sources.

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 043015– Published 7 August, 2026
  • Received 12 February 2026
  • Accepted 30 June 2026
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