您选择的条件: Qing-Hua Zhu
  • Exploring the Equation of State of the Early Universe: Insights from BBN, CMB, and PTA Observations

    分类: 物理学 >> 地球物理学、天文学和天体物理学 提交时间: 2023-07-25

    摘要: Strong evidence for a gravitational-wave background (GWB) has been reported in the nano-Hertz band. Interpreting the origin of this background to be scalar-induced gravitational waves (SIGWs), we explore the equation of state (EoS) of the early universe by performing Bayes parameter inferences across the big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), cosmic microwave background (CMB), and pulsar timing array (PTA) joint observations for the first time. Assuming a monochromatic power spectrum for primordial curvature perturbations, we obtain the spectral amplitude $A\sim10^{-3}-10^{-1}$ and spectral peak frequency $f_\ast\sim10^{-7}-10^{-6}$ Hz. We find that the radiation domination with EoS $w=1/3$ is compatible with the current observational data, the kination domination with EoS $w=1$ is not forbidden, while the early matter domination with EoS $w=0$ is excluded at more than $2\sigma$ confidence level. These results can be tested with future observations.

  • Exploring the Implications of 2023 Pular Timing Array Datasets for Scalar-Induced Gravitational Waves and Primordial Black Holes

    分类: 物理学 >> 核物理学 提交时间: 2023-07-02

    摘要: Significant evidence for a gravitational-wave background was reported by several pulsar-timing-array collaborations. By assuming that this signal is interpreted by the scalar-induced gravitational waves, we study physical implications of the observed signal for the nature of primordial curvature perturbations and primordial black holes. In particular, we explore the effects of primordial non-Gaussianity on the inferences of model parameters, and obtain the parameter region allowed by the observed signal, i.e., the primordial scalar spectral amplitude $A_S\sim10^{-2}-1$, the primordial non-Gaussian parameter $-10\lesssim f_{\mathrm{NL}} \lesssim 10$, and the mass of primordial black holes $m_{\mathrm{pbh}}\sim10^{-3}-0.1M_{\odot}$. We find that the non-Gaussianity suppressing the abundance of primordial black holes is preferred by the observed signal. We show that the anisotropies of scalar-induced gravitational waves are a powerful probe for measurements of the non-Gaussian parameter $f_{\mathrm{NL}}$, and conduct a complete analysis of the angular power spectrum in the nano-Hertz band. We expect that the Square Kilometre Array project has potentials to measure such anisotropies.

  • Overlap reduction function for gravitational wave detectors in an expanding Universe

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Since it was confirmed two decades ago that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating, it would be of theoretical interests to figure out what is the influence from cosmological constant on detection of stochastic gravitational wave background. This paper studies the overlap reduction functions in de-Sitter space-time for a pair of one-way tracking gravitational wave detectors. It is shown to be non-trivial in an expanding Universe, because the propagation of light along line of sight also has effect on the response of GW detectors. It is found that the expansion of the Universe can enhance the value of magnitude of the overlap reduction functions, when the detector pairs are close to each other. For nanohertz gravitational waves, this effect can dominate the values of overlap reduction functions when the galactic pulsar pairs are separated by milliarcsecond.

  • The Third Order Scalar Induced Gravitational Waves

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: Since the gravitational waves were detected by LIGO and Virgo, it has been promising that lots of information about the primordial Universe could be learned by further observations on stochastic gravitational waves background. The studies on gravitational waves induced by primordial curvature perturbations are of great interest. The aim of this paper is to investigate the third order induced gravitational waves. Based on the theory of cosmological perturbations, the first order scalar induces the second order scalar, vector and tensor perturbations. At the next iteration, the first order scalar, the second order scalar, vector and tensor perturbations all induce the third order tensor perturbations. We present the energy density spectrum of the third order gravitational waves for a monochromatic primordial power spectrum. The shape of the energy density spectrum of the third order gravitational waves is different from that of the second order scalar induced gravitational waves. And it is found that the third order gravitational waves sourced by the second order scalar perturbations dominate the energy density spectrum.

  • Non-linear corrections of overlap reduction functions for pulsar timing arrays

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: The signals from international pulsar timing arrays have presented a hint of gravitational stochastic background in nHz band frequency. Further confirmation will be based on whether the signals follow the angular correlation curves formulated by the overlap reduction functions, known as Hellings-Downs curves. This paper investigates the non-linear corrections of overlap reduction functions in the present of non-Gaussianity, in which the self-interaction of gravity is first taken into considerations. Based on perturbed Einstein field equations for the second order metric perturbations, and perturbed geodesic equations to the second order, we obtain non-linear corrections for the timing residuals of pulsar timing, and theoretically study corresponding overlap reduction functions for pulsar timing arrays. There is order-one correction for the overlap reduction functions from the three-point correlations of gravitational waves, and thus the shapes of the overlap reduction functions with non-linear corrections can be distinguished from the Hellings-Downs curves.

  • Note on gauge invariance of second order cosmological perturbations

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: We study the gauge invariant cosmological perturbations up to second order. We show that there are infinite families of gauge invariant variables at both of the first and second orders. The conversion formulae among different families are shown to be described by a finite number of bases that are gauge invariant. For the second order cosmological perturbations induced by the first order scalar perturbations, we explicitly represent the equations of motion of them in terms of the gauge invariant Newtonian, synchronous and hybrid variables, respectively.

  • Non-linear corrections of overlap reduction functions for pulsar timing arrays

    分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19

    摘要: The signals from international pulsar timing arrays have presented a hint of gravitational stochastic background in nHz band frequency. Further confirmation will be based on whether the signals follow the angular correlation curves formulated by the overlap reduction functions, known as Hellings-Downs curves. This paper investigates the non-linear corrections of overlap reduction functions in the present of non-Gaussianity, in which the self-interaction of gravity is first taken into considerations. Based on perturbed Einstein field equations for the second order metric perturbations, and perturbed geodesic equations to the second order, we obtain non-linear corrections for the timing residuals of pulsar timing, and theoretically study corresponding overlap reduction functions for pulsar timing arrays. There is order-one correction for the overlap reduction functions from the three-point correlations of gravitational waves, and thus the shapes of the overlap reduction functions with non-linear corrections can be distinguished from the Hellings-Downs curves.