Tests of scalar polarizations with multi-messenger events

Gravitational wave (GW) observations provide a unique opportunity to test Einstein’s General Relativity (GR) in the strong-field regime. While GR predicts only two tensor polarization modes, generic metric theories allow up to six independent modes. We perform a parameterized test of GR using the parameterized post-Einsteinian (PPE) framework applied to GW170817, incorporating for the first time the polarization angle constraints from the gamma-ray burst afterglow alongside other electromagnetic (EM) counterpart information. We extend the GR waveform by adding a scalar breathing mode and modifications to the tensor modes, introducing three non-GR parameters. We perform Bayesian inference for both quadrupole $\mathrm{\ell }=\mathrm{\mid }m\mathrm{\mid }=2$ and dipole $\mathrm{\ell }=\mathrm{\mid }m\mathrm{\mid }=1$ angular harmonics, with two frequency evolution models. For $\mathrm{\ell }=\mathrm{\mid }m\mathrm{\mid }=2$ , we find mild preference for a scalar mode (scalar amplitude deviates from zero at $\sim 2\sigma$), while for the $\mathrm{\ell }=\mathrm{\mid }m\mathrm{\mid }=1$, we find no preference for a scalar mode. The EM constraint on the polarization angle places very tight bounds on non-GR parameters; for instance, in the case $\mathrm{\ell }=\mathrm{\mid }m\mathrm{\mid }=2$, the bound on the scalar (tensor) amplitude modification parameter improves by roughly $60\mathrm{\%}$ $(30\mathrm{\%})$, highlighting the impact that long-term follow up of GW events can have on tests of gravity.