Imprints of relic gravitational waves in cosmic microwave background radiation

Journal Article · Sun Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 2006 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.74.083008· OSTI ID:20871369

Baskaran, D; Grishchuk, L P; Polnarev, A G ^[1]

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1. School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 3YB (United Kingdom)

A strong variable gravitational field of the very early Universe inevitably generates relic gravitational waves by amplifying their zero-point quantum oscillations. We begin our discussion by contrasting the concepts of relic gravitational waves and inflationary 'tensor modes'. We explain and summarize the properties of relic gravitational waves that are needed to derive their effects on cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropies. The radiation field is characterized by four invariants I, V, E, B. We reduce the radiative transfer equations to a single integral equation of Voltairre type and solve it analytically and numerically. We formulate the correlation functions C{sub l}{sup XX{sup '}} for X, X{sup '}=T, E, B and derive their amplitudes, shapes and oscillatory features. Although all of our main conclusions are supported by exact numerical calculations, we obtain them, in effect, analytically by developing and using accurate approximations. We show that the TE correlation at lower l's must be negative (i.e. an anticorrelation), if it is caused by gravitational waves, and positive if it is caused by density perturbations. This difference in TE correlation may be a signature more valuable observationally than the lack or presence of the BB correlation, since the TE signal is about 100 times stronger than the expected BB signal. We discuss the detection by WMAP of the TE anticorrelation at l{approx_equal}30 and show that such an anticorrelation is possible only in the presence of a significant amount of relic gravitational waves (within the framework of all other common assumptions). We propose models containing considerable amounts of relic gravitational waves that are consistent with the measured TT, TE and EE correlations.

• OSTI ID: 20871369
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 74, Issue 8; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.74.083008; (c) 2006 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
AMPLITUDES
ANISOTROPY
APPROXIMATIONS
CORRELATION FUNCTIONS
CORRELATIONS
COSMOLOGY
DETECTION
DISTURBANCES
GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS
GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DETECTORS
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
INTEGRAL EQUATIONS
OSCILLATIONS
POLARIZATION
RADIANT HEAT TRANSFER
RELICT RADIATION
TENSORS
UNIVERSE