Space-Based Gravitational Wave Detectors to Probe Inflationary Phase Transitions

This study investigates the potential of space-based gravitational-wave detectors to probe phase transitions during inflation, which can generate a stochastic gravitational-wave background. Using a Taiji-like mission as a benchmark, the researchers construct a realistic data-analysis framework that accounts for instrumental noise, astrophysical foregrounds and backgrounds, and the A, E, and T time-delay interferometry channels. The target signal is described in a minimal, model-independent form and analyzed using both Fisher-matrix forecasts and Bayesian inference with nested sampling. The study quantifies detection significance and parameter-recovery thresholds, demonstrating that while detection is achievable at moderate signal-to-noise ratios, stronger signals provide more reliable parameter reconstruction. These results offer a realistic assessment of the capability of future space-based missions to probe phase transitions during inflation through stochastic gravitational radiation. The implications of this research are significant for the future of cosmology and fundamental physics. Successful detection and characterization of gravitational waves from inflationary phase transitions would provide direct evidence for the inflationary epoch and offer insights into the energy scales and particle physics processes that governed the early universe. This could lead to a deeper understanding of the nature of dark energy, dark matter, and the origin of the universe.

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