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arXiv · 1002.1389

Gravitational waves from cosmological phase transitions

Ruth Durrer
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Abstract

I discuss the generation of a stochastic background of gravitational waves during a first order phase transition. I present simple general arguments which explain the main features of the gravitational wave spectrum like the $k^3$ power law growth on large scales and a estimate for the peak amplitude. In the second part I concentrate on the electroweak phase transition and argue that the nucleosynthesis bound on its gravitational wave background seriously limits seed magnetic fields which may have been generated during this transition.

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Ruth Durrer. 2010-02-08. Gravitational waves from cosmological phase transitions. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/222/1/012021

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