Tufts/CfA/MIT Cosmology Seminar, at Tufts:

Tuesday, September 29, 2009
2:30 pm
Robinson Hall, Room 250
Refreshments at 2:00 in Knipp Library, Room 251

"Detectability of Gravitational Waves from Light Cosmic Strings by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna"

Matt DePies
University of Washington

Abstract:

Numerical calculations of the gravitational wave signal from cosmic string loops are analyzed for their detectability by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). This signal comes both as a cosmological stochastic background, as unresolved loops within the Milky Way, and as resolved individual loops within the galaxy. Lighter (lower mass/energy per unit length) string loops decay more slowly which increases the number density, leading to a shorter distance to the nearest loops from the solar system. We assume the string loop distribution matches that of the dark matter. It is found that with this increase in number density there is a possibility that a few loops are close enough to be individually resolved. The increase number density also leads to a broad spectrum signal from the unresolved loops in the galaxy.

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