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

Tristan L. Smith, Hiranya V. Peiris, and Asantha Cooray
Phys. Rev. D 73, 123503 – Published 2 June 2006

Abstract

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.

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  • Received 6 February 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.73.123503

©2006 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Tristan L. Smith1, Hiranya V. Peiris2,*, and Asantha Cooray3

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

  • *Email address: hiranya@cfcp.uchicago.edu

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Vol. 73, Iss. 12 — 15 June 2006

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