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An upper limit on the stochastic gravitational-wave background of cosmological origin.

Publication ,  Journal Article
LIGO Scientific Collaboration & Virgo Collaboration; Abbott, BP; Abbott, R; Acernese, F; Adhikari, R; Ajith, P; Allen, B; Allen, G; Amin, RS ...
Published in: Nature
August 2009

A stochastic background of gravitational waves is expected to arise from a superposition of a large number of unresolved gravitational-wave sources of astrophysical and cosmological origin. It should carry unique signatures from the earliest epochs in the evolution of the Universe, inaccessible to standard astrophysical observations. Direct measurements of the amplitude of this background are therefore of fundamental importance for understanding the evolution of the Universe when it was younger than one minute. Here we report limits on the amplitude of the stochastic gravitational-wave background using the data from a two-year science run of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). Our result constrains the energy density of the stochastic gravitational-wave background normalized by the critical energy density of the Universe, in the frequency band around 100 Hz, to be <6.9 x 10(-6) at 95% confidence. The data rule out models of early Universe evolution with relatively large equation-of-state parameter, as well as cosmic (super)string models with relatively small string tension that are favoured in some string theory models. This search for the stochastic background improves on the indirect limits from Big Bang nucleosynthesis and cosmic microwave background at 100 Hz.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Nature

DOI

EISSN

1476-4687

ISSN

0028-0836

Publication Date

August 2009

Volume

460

Issue

7258

Start / End Page

990 / 994

Related Subject Headings

  • General Science & Technology
 

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Chicago
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MLA
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration & Virgo Collaboration, Abbott, B. P., Abbott, R., Acernese, F., Adhikari, R., Ajith, P., … Rolland, L. (2009). An upper limit on the stochastic gravitational-wave background of cosmological origin. Nature, 460(7258), 990–994. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08278
LIGO Scientific Collaboration & Virgo Collaboration, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, F. Acernese, R. Adhikari, P. Ajith, B. Allen, et al. “An upper limit on the stochastic gravitational-wave background of cosmological origin.Nature 460, no. 7258 (August 2009): 990–94. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08278.
LIGO Scientific Collaboration & Virgo Collaboration, Abbott BP, Abbott R, Acernese F, Adhikari R, Ajith P, et al. An upper limit on the stochastic gravitational-wave background of cosmological origin. Nature. 2009 Aug;460(7258):990–4.
LIGO Scientific Collaboration & Virgo Collaboration, et al. “An upper limit on the stochastic gravitational-wave background of cosmological origin.Nature, vol. 460, no. 7258, Aug. 2009, pp. 990–94. Epmc, doi:10.1038/nature08278.
LIGO Scientific Collaboration & Virgo Collaboration, Abbott BP, Abbott R, Acernese F, Adhikari R, Ajith P, Allen B, Allen G, Alshourbagy M, Amin RS, Anderson SB, Anderson WG, Antonucci F, Aoudia S, Arain MA, Araya M, Armandula H, Armor P, Arun KG, Aso Y, Aston S, Astone P, Aufmuth P, Aulbert C, Babak S, Baker P, Ballardin G, Ballmer S, Barker C, Barker D, Barone F, Barr B, Barriga P, Barsotti L, Barsuglia M, Barton MA, Bartos I, Bassiri R, Bastarrika M, Bauer TS, Behnke B, Beker M, Benacquista M, Betzwieser J, Beyersdorf PT, Bigotta S, Bilenko IA, Billingsley G, Birindelli S, Biswas R, Bizouard MA, Black E, Blackburn JK, Blackburn L, Blair D, Bland B, Boccara C, Bodiya TP, Bogue L, Bondu F, Bonelli L, Bork R, Boschi V, Bose S, Bosi L, Braccini S, Bradaschia C, Brady PR, Braginsky VB, Brand JFJVD, Brau JE, Bridges DO, Brillet A, Brinkmann M, Brisson V, Van Den Broeck C, Brooks AF, Brown DA, Brummit A, Brunet G, Bullington A, Bulten HJ, Buonanno A, Burmeister O, Buskulic D, Byer RL, 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Edgar M, Effler A, Ehrens P, Ely G, Espinoza E, Etzel T, Evans M, Evans T, Fafone V, Fairhurst S, Faltas Y, Fan Y, Fazi D, Fehrmann H, Ferrante I, Fidecaro F, Finn LS, Fiori I, Flaminio R, Flasch K, Foley S, Forrest C, Fotopoulos N, Fournier J-D, Franc J, Franzen A, Frasca S, Frasconi F, Frede M, Frei M, Frei Z, Freise A, Frey R, Fricke T, Fritschel P, Frolov VV, Fyffe M, Galdi V, Gammaitoni L, Garofoli JA, Garufi F, Genin E, Gennai A, Gholami I, Giaime JA, Giampanis S, Giardina KD, Giazotto A, Goda K, Goetz E, Goggin LM, González G, Gorodetsky ML, Gobler S, Gouaty R, Granata M, Granata V, Grant A, Gras S, Gray C, Gray M, Greenhalgh RJS, Gretarsson AM, Greverie C, Grimaldi F, Grosso R, Grote H, Grunewald S, Guenther M, Guidi G, Gustafson EK, Gustafson R, Hage B, Hallam JM, Hammer D, Hammond GD, Hanna C, Hanson J, Harms J, Harry GM, Harry IW, Harstad ED, Haughian K, Hayama K, Heefner J, Heitmann H, Hello P, Heng IS, Heptonstall A, Hewitson M, Hild S, Hirose E, Hoak D, Hodge KA, Holt K, 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Penn S, Perreca A, Persichetti G, Pichot M, Piergiovanni F, Pierro V, Pinard L, Pinto IM, Pitkin M, Pletsch HJ, Plissi MV, Poggiani R, Postiglione F, Principe M, Prix R, Prodi GA, Prokhorov L, Punken O, Punturo M, Puppo P, Putten SVD, Quetschke V, Raab FJ, Rabaste O, Rabeling DS, Radkins H, Raffai P, Raics Z, Rainer N, Rakhmanov M, Rapagnani P, Raymond V, Re V, Reed CM, Reed T, Regimbau T, Rehbein H, Reid S, Reitze DH, Ricci F, Riesen R, Riles K, Rivera B, Roberts P, Robertson NA, Robinet F, Robinson C, Robinson EL, Rocchi A, Roddy S, Rolland L. An upper limit on the stochastic gravitational-wave background of cosmological origin. Nature. 2009 Aug;460(7258):990–994.
Journal cover image

Published In

Nature

DOI

EISSN

1476-4687

ISSN

0028-0836

Publication Date

August 2009

Volume

460

Issue

7258

Start / End Page

990 / 994

Related Subject Headings

  • General Science & Technology