Speaker
Description
Modified theories of gravity provide a promising framework for testing General Relativity in the strong-field regime. Among them, massive scalar-tensor theories predict finite-range scalar interactions that modify the dynamics and gravitational-wave emission of compact binaries. In this talk, I will present an effective field theory description of massive scalar-tensor gravity and its implications for gravitational-wave observations. I will discuss the mapping between generic massive scalar-tensor theories and quadratic f(R) gravity, leading to a predictive one-parameter model. I will also present recent constraints from the binary neutron-star event GW170817 and discuss future prospects for testing massive scalar interactions with next-generation gravitational-wave detectors, particularly the Einstein Telescope.