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Spectrum of gravitational radiation from primordial turbulence

Journal Article · · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Centre for Plasma Astrophysics, K.U. Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200B, 3001 Leuven (Belgium)
  2. Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, New York University, 4 Washington Plaza, New York, New York 10003 (United States)
  3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, 3941 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260 (United States)

Energy injection into the early universe can induce turbulent motions of the primordial plasma, which in turn act as a source for gravitational radiation. Earlier work computed the amplitude and characteristic frequency of the relic gravitational wave background, as a function of the total energy injected and the stirring scale of the turbulence. This paper computes the frequency spectrum of relic gravitational radiation from a turbulent source of the stationary Kolmogoroff form which acts for a given duration, making no other approximations. We also show that the limit of long source wavelengths, commonly employed in aeroacoustic problems, is an excellent approximation. The gravitational waves from cosmological turbulence around the electroweak energy scale will be detectable by future space-based laser interferometers for a substantial range of turbulence parameters.

OSTI ID:
21032413
Journal Information:
Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Journal Name: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 76; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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