Testing modified gravity with the eccentric neutron star--black hole merger GW200105

Abstract: Direct detections of gravitational waves offer a unique opportunity to test gravity in the highly dynamical and strong field regime. Current tests are typically performed assuming signals from quasi-circular binaries. However, the complex waveform morphology induced by orbital eccentricity can enhance our ability to probe gravity with greater precision. A recent analysis of the neutron star-black hole event GW200105 identified strong evidence for orbital eccentricity. We extend an eccentric-precessing waveform model to test alternative models with this signal by incorporating eccentric corrections induced by Brans-Dicke, Einstein-dilaton-Gauss-Bonnet, and dynamical Chern-Simons gravity at leading post-Newtonian order. We show that analyzing this event with a quasi-circular model leads to a false deviation from general relativity, while the inclusion of eccentricity improves the bounds on the models. Our analysis of GW200105 places tight constraints on Einstein-dilaton-Gauss-Bonnet gravity, $\alpha^{1/2}_{\text{EdGB}} \lesssim 2.38\,\text{km}$, and Brans-Dicke gravity, $\omega_{\text{BD}} \gtrsim 3.5$, while dynamical Chern-Simons gravity remains unconstrained due to the low spin content.