Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: We consider gravitational wave production due to parametric resonance at the end of inflation, or "preheating." This leads to large inhomogeneities that source a stochastic background of gravitational waves at scales inside the comoving Hubble horizon at the end of inflation. We confirm that the present amplitude of these gravitational waves need not depend on the inflationary energy scale. We analyze an explicit model where the inflationary energy scale is approximately 10{9} GeV, yielding a signal close to the sensitivity of Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory and Big Bang Observer. This signal highlights the possibility of a new observational "window" into inflationary physics and provides significant motivation for searches for stochastic backgrounds of gravitational waves in the Hz to GHz range, with an amplitude on the order of Omega_{gw}(k)h{2} approximately 10{-11}.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Authors: Richard Easther, John T. Giblin, Eugene A. Lim
Institution: Yale University
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2097530387