GWTC-4.0: Searches for gravitational-wave lensing signatures

Abac, A. G., Abouelfettouh, I., Acernese, F., Ackley, K., Adamcewicz, C., Al-Shammari, S., Bergamin, F., Divyajyoti, D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2787-1012, Dooley, K. L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1636-0233, Fairhurst, S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8480-1961, Gottel, A. S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6215-4641, Grote, H. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0797-3943, Higginbotham, S., Javed, W. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1471-7890, Kinnear, M., Kokeyama, K. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2896-1992, Kuntimaddi, N., MacLeod, D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1395-8694, Norman, M., North, C., Patra, A., Patterson, B. G., Pearce, T., Raymond, V. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0066-0095, Schutz, B. F. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9487-6983, Skliris, V., Sutton, P. J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1614-3922, Tsang, T. and Tanioka, S. 2026. GWTC-4.0: Searches for gravitational-wave lensing signatures. The Astrophysical Journal 1011 (2) , 240. 10.3847/1538-4357/ae9744

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Abstract

Gravitational waves can be gravitationally lensed by massive objects along their path. Depending on the lens mass and the lens–source geometry, this can lead to the observation of a single distorted signal, multiple repeated events, or a mixture of both. We present the results for gravitational-wave lensing searches on the data from the first part of the fourth LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA observing run (O4a). We search for strongly lensed events in the newly acquired data by (1) searching for an overall phase shift present in an image formed at a saddle point of the lens potential, (2) looking for pairs of detected candidates with consistent frequency evolution, and (3) identifying subthreshold counterpart candidates to the detected signals. Beyond strong lensing, we also look for lensing-induced distortions in all detected signals using an isolated point-mass model. We do not find evidence for strongly lensed gravitational-wave signals and use this result to constrain the rate of detectable strongly lensed events and the merger rate density of binary black holes at high redshift. In the search for single distorted lensed signals, we find one outlier: GW231123_135430, for which we report more detailed investigations. While this event is interesting, the associated waveform uncertainties make its interpretation complicated, and future observations of the populations of binary black holes and of gravitational lenses will help determine the probability that this event could be lensed.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Physical, Chemical & Environmental Sciences Schools > Physics and Astronomy
Additional Information:	For complete author list see https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae9744
Publisher:	American Astronomical Society
ISSN:	0004-637X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	13 November 2026
Date of Acceptance:	9 July 2026
Last Modified:	13 Nov 2026 10:42
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/190892

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