Initial operation of the International Gravitational Event Collaboration

The International Gravitational Event Collaboration, IGEC, is a coordinated effort by research groups operating gravitational wave detectors working towards the detection of millisecond bursts of gravitational waves. Here we report on the current IGEC resonant bar observatory, its data analysis procedures, the main properties of the first exchanged data set. Even though the available data set is not complete, in the years 1997 and 1998 up to four detectors were operating simultaneously. Preliminary results are mentioned.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables; Proceeding of the GWDAW'99. Submitted to the International Journal of Modern Physic

Stochastic Gravitational Wave Production After Inflation

In many models of inflation, the period of accelerated expansion ends with preheating, a highly non-thermal phase of evolution during which the inflaton pumps energy into a specific set of momentum modes of field(s) to which it is coupled. This necessarily induces large, transient density inhomogeneities which can source a significant spectrum of gravitational waves. In this paper, we consider the generic properties of gravitational waves produced during preheating, perform detailed calculations of the spectrum for several specific inflationary models, and identify problems that require further study. In particular, we argue that if these gravitational waves exist they will necessarily fall within the frequency range that is feasible for direct detection experiments -- from laboratory through to solar system scales. We extract the gravitational wave spectrum from numerical simulations of preheating after $\lambda \phi^4$ and $m_{\phi}^2 \phi^2$ inflation, and find that they lead to a gravitational wave amplitude of around $\Omega_{gw}h^2\sim 10^{-10}$. This is considerably higher than the amplitude of the primordial gravitational waves produced during inflation. However, the typical wavelength of these gravitational waves is considerably shorter than LIGO scales, although in extreme cases they may be visible at scales accessible to the proposed BBO mission. We survey possible experimental approaches to detecting any gravitational wave background generated during preheating.Comment: 11 pages. Updated references. Minor clarification

Search for gravitational wave bursts by the network of resonant detectors , P Carelli , L Conti , C Cosmelli , A Moleti , A Ortolan , G Pizzella

Abstract The groups operating cryogenic bar detectors of gravitational waves are performing a coordinated search for short signals within the International Gravitational Event Collaboration (IGEC). We review the most relevant aspects of the data analysis, based on a time-coincidence search among triggers from different detectors, and the properties of the data exchanged by each detector under a recently-upgraded agreement. The IGEC is currently analysing the observations from 1997 to 2000, when up to four detectors were operating simultaneously. 10% and 50% of this time period were covered by simultaneous observations, respectively, of at least three or at least two detectors. Typical signal search thresholds were in the range 2-6 10 −21 /Hz. The coincidences found are within the estimated background, hence improved upper limits on incoming GW (gravitational wave) bursts have been set

Search for gravitational wave bursts by the network of resonant detectors , P Carelli , L Conti , C Cosmelli , A Moleti , A Ortolan , G Pizzella

Abstract The groups operating cryogenic bar detectors of gravitational waves are performing a coordinated search for short signals within the International Gravitational Event Collaboration (IGEC). We review the most relevant aspects of the data analysis, based on a time-coincidence search among triggers from different detectors, and the properties of the data exchanged by each detector under a recently-upgraded agreement. The IGEC is currently analysing the observations from 1997 to 2000, when up to four detectors were operating simultaneously. 10% and 50% of this time period were covered by simultaneous observations, respectively, of at least three or at least two detectors. Typical signal search thresholds were in the range 2-6 10 −21 /Hz. The coincidences found are within the estimated background, hence improved upper limits on incoming GW (gravitational wave) bursts have been set