Polarization of the Cosmic Gravitational Wave Background

Event Date:
2018-09-20T16:00:00
2018-09-20T17:00:00
Event Location:
Hennings 201
Speaker:
Douglas Scott
Related Upcoming Events:
Intended Audience:
Undergraduate
Local Contact:

Douglas Scott

Event Information:

The Cosmic Gravitational Wave Background (CGB) is a
hypothesized relic radiation field that, if detected, would give us
clues to the earliest moments of the history of the Universe. In this
talk, accessible to students and non-experts, I will describe the
physical processes that can give rise to a CGB, novel features including
a net polarization of the gravitational waves (as distinct from the
polarization of cosmic microwave background photons), and methods of
detection. I will also discuss the ability of the proposed Laser
Interferometer Space Antenna, LISA, to detect the CGB.

Add to Calendar 2018-09-20T16:00:00 2018-09-20T17:00:00 Polarization of the Cosmic Gravitational Wave Background Event Information: The Cosmic Gravitational Wave Background (CGB) is a hypothesized relic radiation field that, if detected, would give us clues to the earliest moments of the history of the Universe. In this talk, accessible to students and non-experts, I will describe the physical processes that can give rise to a CGB, novel features including a net polarization of the gravitational waves (as distinct from the polarization of cosmic microwave background photons), and methods of detection. I will also discuss the ability of the proposed Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, LISA, to detect the CGB. Event Location: Hennings 201