Relic gravitational waves and present accelerated expansion

Abstract

We calculate the current power spectrum of the gravitational waves created at the big bang (and later amplified by the different transitions during the Universe expansion) taking into account the present stage of accelerated expansion. Likewise, we determine the power spectrum in a hypothetical second dust era that would follow the present one if at some future time the dark energy, that supposedly drives the current accelerated expansion, evolved in such a way that it became dynamically equivalent to cold dark matter. The calculated power spectrum as well as the evolution of the density parameter of the waves may serve to discriminate between phases of expansion and may help ascertain the nature of dark energy.Comment: 20 pages, uses revtex4, 1 figure ps and 3 figures eps. To be published in Physical Review