Merger-Ringdown Consistency: A New Test of Strong Gravity using Deep Learning

The gravitational waves emitted during the coalescence of binary black holes offer an excellent probe to test the behaviour of strong gravity at different length scales. In this paper, we propose a novel test called the `merger-ringdown consistency test' that focuses on probing horizon-scale dynamics of strong-gravity using the binary black hole ringdowns. We present a proof-of-concept study of this test using simulated binary black hole ringdowns embedded in Einstein Telescope-like noise. Furthermore, we demonstrate the feasibility of our test using a deep learning framework, setting a precedence for performing precision tests of gravity with neural networks.