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Dark energy, D-branes and pulsar timing arrays

Debika Chowdhury, Gianmassimo Tasinato Orcid Logo, Ivonne Zavala Carrasco Orcid Logo

Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Volume: 2023, Issue: 11, Start page: 090

Swansea University Authors: Debika Chowdhury, Gianmassimo Tasinato Orcid Logo, Ivonne Zavala Carrasco Orcid Logo

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Abstract

Several pulsar timing array (PTA) collaborations recently announced the first detection of a stochastic gravitational wave (GW) background, leaving open the question of its source. We explore the possibility that it originates from cosmic inflation, a guaranteed source of primordial GW. The inflatio...

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Published in: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
ISSN: 1475-7516
Published: IOP Publishing 2023
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65120
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Abstract: Several pulsar timing array (PTA) collaborations recently announced the first detection of a stochastic gravitational wave (GW) background, leaving open the question of its source. We explore the possibility that it originates from cosmic inflation, a guaranteed source of primordial GW. The inflationary GW background amplitude is enhanced at PTA scales by a non-standard early cosmological evolution, driven by Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) scalar dynamics motivated by string theory. The resulting GW energy density has a broken power-law frequency profile, entering the PTA band with a peak amplitude consistent with the recent GW detection. After this initial DBI kination epoch, the dynamics starts a new phase mainly controlled by the scalar potential. It provides a realization of an early dark energy scenario aimed at relaxing the H0 tension, and a late dark energy model which explains the current cosmological acceleration with no need of a cosmological constant. Hence our mechanism — besides providing a possible explanation for the recent PTA results — connects them with testable properties of the physics of the dark universe.
Keywords: Dark energy theory, gravitational waves / theory, Gravitational waves in GRand beyond: theory , physics of the early universe
College: Faculty of Science and Engineering
Funders: The authors are partially funded by the STFC grant ST/T000813/1.
Issue: 11
Start Page: 090