Deciphering inflation with gravitational waves: Cosmic microwave background polarization vs direct detection with laser interferometers

Journal Article · Thu Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 2006 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.73.123503· OSTI ID:20774855

Smith, Tristan L ^[1]; Peiris, Hiranya V ^[2]; Cooray, Asantha ^[3]

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1. California Institute of Technology, Mail Code 130-33, Pasadena, California 91125 (United States)
2. Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics and Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago Illinois 60637 (United States)
3. Center for Cosmology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, California 92697 (United States)

A detection of the primordial gravitational wave background is considered to be the 'smoking-gun' evidence for inflation. While superhorizon waves are probed with cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization, the relic background will be studied with laser interferometers. The long lever arm spanned by the two techniques improves constraints on the inflationary potential and validation of consistency relations expected under inflation. If gravitational waves with a tensor-to-scalar amplitude ratio greater than 0.01 are detected by the CMB, then a direct-detection experiment with a sensitivity consistent with current concept studies should be pursued vigorously. If no primordial tensors are detected by the CMB, a direct-detection experiment to understand the simplest form of inflation must have a sensitivity improved by two to 3 orders of magnitude over current plans.

• OSTI ID: 20774855
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Journal Name: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 73; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
AMPLITUDES
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMOLOGY
DETECTION
GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DETECTORS
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
INTERFEROMETERS
INTERFEROMETRY
LASERS
POLARIZATION
POTENTIALS
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
RELICT RADIATION
SCALARS
SENSITIVITY
TENSORS