The Response of a Two-Element Radio Interferometer to Gravitational Waves

This document presents a ray-optics analysis of the response of a two-element radio interferometer to the presence of a plane gravitational wave. A general expression for the differential phase observed between the two receiving stations as a result of an arbitrary gravitational wave is determined, as well as the specific responses to monochromatic and black hole ring-down waveforms. Finally, the possibility of gravitational wave detection via this mechanism is discussed in the context of interferometer noise.