Probing Higher Curvature Gravity with Black Hole Ringdown Overtones

This paper investigates the impact of higher curvature gravity on black hole ringdown signals. It focuses on how deviations from General Relativity (GR) become more noticeable in overtone modes of the quasinormal modes (QNMs). The study suggests that these deviations, caused by modifications to the near-horizon potential, can be identified in ringdown waveforms, even when the fundamental mode and early overtones are only mildly affected. This is significant because it offers a potential way to test higher curvature gravity theories using gravitational wave observations.