Stochastic Siren: Astrophysical Gravitational-Wave Background Measurements of the Hubble Constant

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Authors: B. Cousins, Kristen Schumacher, Adrian Ka-Wai Chung, C. Talbot, T. A. Callister, D. E. Holz, Nicolás Yunes
Cited by: 3
References: 143

Abstract

We report the first measurement of the Hubble constant H_{0} using the stochastic gravitational-wave background arising from binary black hole mergers. This astrophysical background is sensitive to the expansion history of the Universe and, thus, can be used for cosmological parameter inference independently of not only electromagnetic methods, but also gravitational-wave standard siren approaches. We describe the background's cosmological dependence and show how it can be used as a "stochastic siren" to measure H_{0}. By analyzing existing resolved binary black hole mergers and the current nondetection of the background, we find that H_{0} can be measured more accurately relative to using resolved mergers alone. We also note that the stochastic siren may serve a unique role in the Hubble tension in that the lower bound of the H_{0} measurement would progressively increase with continued nondetection of the background.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology Cosmology and Gravitation Theories

Publication details

Journal / source
Physical Review Letters
Publisher
American Physical Society (APS)
Volume
136
Issue
10
Pages
101003–101003
Publication date
16 January 2026
Language
EN