PRIMORDIAL GRAVITATIONAL WAVES AND INFLATION: POSSIBILITIES FOR DETECTION

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (33) ◽  
pp. 2503-2519 ◽  
Author(s):  
ASANTHA COORAY

The curl-modes of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarization probe horizon-scale primordial gravitational waves related to inflation. A significant source of confusion is expected from a lensing conversion of polarization related to density perturbations to the curl mode, during the propagation of photons through the large scale structure. Either high resolution CMB anisotropy observations or 21 cm fluctuations at redshifts 30 and higher can be used to delens polarization data and to separate gravitational-wave polarization signature from that of cosmic-shear related signal. Separations based on proposed lensing reconstruction techniques for reasonable future experiments allow the possibility to probe inflationary energy scales down to 1015 GeV . Beyond CMB polarization, at frequencies between 0.01 Hz to 1 Hz, space-based laser interferometers can also be used to probe the inflationary gravitational wave background. The confusion here is related to the removal of merging neutron star binaries at cosmological distances. Given the low merger rate and the rapid evolution of the gravitational wave frequency across this band, reliable removal techniques can be constructed. We discuss issues related to joint constraints that can be placed on the inflationary models based on CMB polarization information and space-based interferometers such as the Big Bang Observer.

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (14) ◽  
pp. 1846005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Banks ◽  
W. Fischler

This essay outlines the Holographic Spacetime (HST) theory of cosmology and its relation to conventional theories of inflation. The predictions of the theory are compatible with observations, and one must hope for data on primordial gravitational waves or non-Gaussian fluctuations to distinguish it from conventional models. The model predicts an early era of structure formation, prior to the Big Bang. Understanding the fate of those structures requires complicated simulations that have not yet been done. The result of those calculations might falsify the model, or might provide a very economical framework for explaining dark matter and the generation of the baryon asymmetry.


Author(s):  
John W. Moffat

Civita criticized Einstein’s papers on gravitational waves: their energy momentum is frame dependent and therefore does not fit the covariance of Einstein’s gravity theory. Infeld and Rosen did not believe gravitational waves existed, and Einstein changed his mind on their existence repeatedly. Others did believe in them, such as Fock and Feynman. Weber constructed his “Weber bar” to detect gravitational waves, but when he claimed success, he was criticized. He then proposed using a Michelson-Morley type of interferometer with lasers to detect gravitational waves, as did Weiss. Merging black holes and neutron stars were proposed as detectable sources of gravitational waves. Taylor and Hulse, using the large Arecibo radio telescope, indirectly detected gravitational waves from inspiraling neutron stars. Primordial gravitational waves, still emanating from the Big Bang, were claimed to have been detected by BICEP2, but the waves were eventually shown to be a result of foreground dust.


2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 2459-2479 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRIAN G. KEATING ◽  
ALEXANDER G. POLNAREV ◽  
NATHAN J. MILLER ◽  
DEEPAK BASKARAN

We review current observational constraints on the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), with a particular emphasis on detecting the signature of primordial gravitational waves. We present an analytic solution to the Polanarev approximation for CMB polarization produced by primordial gravitational waves. This simplifies the calculation of the curl, or B-mode power spectrum associated with gravitational waves during the epoch of cosmological inflation. We compare our analytic method to existing numerical methods and also make predictions for the sensitivity of upcoming CMB polarization observations to the inflationary gravitational wave background. We show that upcoming experiments should be able either detect the relic gravitational wave background or completely rule out whole classes of inflationary models.


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (18n19) ◽  
pp. 3493-3500 ◽  
Author(s):  
WEI-TOU NI

CMB (Cosmic Microwave Background) polarization observations test many aspects of cosmological models. Effective pseudoscalar-photon interaction(s) would induce a rotation of linear polarization of electromagnetic wave propagating with cosmological distance in various cosmological models. CMB polarization observations are superb tests of these models and have the potential to discover new fundamental physics. Pseudoscalar-photon interaction is proportional to the gradient of the pseudoscalar field. From phenomenological point of view, this gradient could be neutrino number asymmetry, other density current, or a constant vector. In these situations, Lorentz invariance or CPT may effectively be violated. In this paper, we review these results and anticipate what more precise observations can tell us about fundamental physics, inflation, etc. Better accuracy in CMB polarization observation is expected from PLANCK mission to be launched this year. Dedicated CMB polarization observers like B-Pol mission, CMBpol mission and LiteBIRD mission would probe this fundamental issue more deeply in the future. With these sensitivities, cosmic polarization rotations from effective pseudoscalar-photon interaction, Faraday polarization rotations from primordial and large-scale magnetic field, and tensor modes effects would have chances to be detected and distinguished. The subtracted tensor-mode effects are likely due to primordial gravitational waves. We discuss the direct detectability of these primordial gravitational waves using space GW detectors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (12) ◽  
pp. 019
Author(s):  
Ryusuke Jinno ◽  
Thomas Konstandin ◽  
Henrique Rubira ◽  
Jorinde van de Vis

Abstract We study the effect of density perturbations on the process of first-order phase transitions and gravitational wave production in the early Universe. We are mainly interested in how the distribution of nucleated bubbles is affected by fluctuations in the local temperature. We find that large-scale density fluctuations (H * < k * < β) result in a larger effective bubble size at the time of collision, enhancing the produced amplitude of gravitational waves. The amplitude of the density fluctuations necessary for this enhancement is 𝒫ζ (k *) ≳ (β/H *)-2, and therefore the gravitational wave signal from first-order phase transitions with relatively large β/H * can be significantly enhanced by this mechanism even for fluctuations with moderate amplitudes.


Author(s):  
Gregory M Harry ◽  
Peter Fritschel ◽  
William Folkner ◽  
Daniel A Shaddock ◽  
E Sterl Phinney

Universe ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 276
Author(s):  
Muhammad Zahid Mughal ◽  
Iftikhar Ahmad ◽  
Juan Luis García Guirao

In this review article, the study of the development of relativistic cosmology and the introduction of inflation in it as an exponentially expanding early phase of the universe is carried out. We study the properties of the standard cosmological model developed in the framework of relativistic cosmology and the geometric structure of spacetime connected coherently with it. The geometric properties of space and spacetime ingrained into the standard model of cosmology are investigated in addition. The big bang model of the beginning of the universe is based on the standard model which succumbed to failure in explaining the flatness and the large-scale homogeneity of the universe as demonstrated by observational evidence. These cosmological problems were resolved by introducing a brief acceleratedly expanding phase in the very early universe known as inflation. The cosmic inflation by setting the initial conditions of the standard big bang model resolves these problems of the theory. We discuss how the inflationary paradigm solves these problems by proposing the fast expansion period in the early universe. Further inflation and dark energy in fR modified gravity are also reviewed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (28n29) ◽  
pp. 1545005
Author(s):  
Qing-Guo Huang

Gravitational waves can escape from the big bang and can be taken as a probe to the physics, in particular the inflation, in the early universe. Planck scale is a fundamental scale for quantum theory of gravity. Requiring the excursion distance of inflaton in the field space during inflation yields an upper bound on the tensor-to-scalar ratio. For example, [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text]. In the typical inflationary scenario, we predict [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] which are consistent with Planck data released in 2015 quite well. Subtracting the contribution of thermal dust measured by Planck, BICEP2 data implies [Formula: see text] which is the tightest bound on the tensor-to-scalar ratio from current experiments.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dai G. Yamazaki ◽  
Kiyotomo Ichiki ◽  
Toshitaka Kajino ◽  
Grant J. Mathews

Magnetic fields are everywhere in nature, and they play an important role in every astronomical environment which involves the formation of plasma and currents. It is natural therefore to suppose that magnetic fields could be present in the turbulent high-temperature environment of the big bang. Such a primordial magnetic field (PMF) would be expected to manifest itself in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropies, and also in the formation of large-scale structure. In this paper, we summarize the theoretical framework which we have developed to calculate the PMF power spectrum to high precision. Using this formulation, we summarize calculations of the effects of a PMF which take accurate quantitative account of the time evolution of the cutoff scale. We review the constructed numerical program, which is without approximation, and an improvement over the approach used in a number of previous works for studying the effect of the PMF on the cosmological perturbations. We demonstrate how the PMF is an important cosmological physical process on small scales. We also summarize the current constraints on the PMF amplitudeBλand the power spectral indexnBwhich have been deduced from the available CMB observational data by using our computational framework.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Li ◽  
Si-Yu Li ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Yong-Ping Li ◽  
Yifu Cai ◽  
...  

Abstract In this paper, we will give a general introduction to the Ali CMB Polarization Telescope (AliCPT) project, which is a Sino–US joint project led by the Institute of High Energy Physics and involves many different institutes in China. It is the first ground-based Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarization experiment in China and an integral part of China's Gravitational-wave Program. The main scientific goal of the AliCPT project is to probe the primordial gravitational waves (PGWs) originating from the very early Universe. The AliCPT project includes two stages. The first stage, referred to as AliCPT-1, is to build a telescope in the Ali region of Tibet at an altitude of 5250 meters. Once completed, it will be the highest ground-based CMB observatory in the world and will open a new window for probing PGWs in the northern hemisphere. The AliCPT-1 telescope is designed to have about 7000 transition-edge sensor detectors at 95 GHz and 150 GHz. The second stage is to have a more sensitive telescope (AliCPT-2) with more than 20 000 detectors. Our simulations show that AliCPT will improve the current constraint on the tensor-to-scalar ratio r by one order of magnitude with three years' observation. Besides the PGWs, AliCPT will also enable a precise measurement of the CMB rotation angle and provide a precise test of the CPT symmetry. We show that three years' observation will improve the current limit by two orders of magnitude.


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