Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 8, 2026
08:19
Induction of Microstreaming by Nonspherical Bubble Oscillations in an Acoustic Levitation System
Published on: May 9, 2021
2.8K
Gravitational Waves from Oscillons after Inflation
Stefan Antusch1,2, Francesco Cefalà1, Stefano Orani1
1Deparment of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstr. 82, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.
Physical Review Letters
|January 21, 2017
Summary
Oscillons in asymmetric potentials significantly boost gravitational wave production after inflation. This enhanced signal improves detection prospects for gravitational wave astronomy, especially in low-scale inflation models.
Area of Science:
- Cosmology
- Gravitational Wave Physics
- Particle Physics
Background:
- Preheating after cosmic inflation is a crucial period for generating primordial gravitational waves.
- Scalar field potentials with asymmetric minima are common in inflationary models.
- Oscillons, localized large-amplitude oscillations, can form during preheating.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate gravitational wave production during preheating with asymmetric scalar field potentials.
- To analyze the specific role and impact of oscillons in these asymmetric scenarios.
- To compare findings with previous studies on symmetric potentials.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations of scalar field dynamics during preheating.
- Analysis of the resulting gravitational wave spectrum.
- Comparison of results for asymmetric versus symmetric potentials.
Main Results:
- Oscillons in asymmetric potentials generate a pronounced peak in the gravitational wave spectrum.
- This peak significantly exceeds the spectrum predicted by linear preheating.
- The amplitude enhancement is substantial compared to symmetric potential scenarios.
Conclusions:
- Asymmetric potentials and oscillons play a critical role in gravitational wave production during preheating.
- The enhanced gravitational wave signal offers improved observational prospects for detectors.
- This finding has significant implications for testing low-scale inflation models.
Related Concept Videos
01:17The Principle of Superposition and the Gravitational Field
2.2K
The principle of superposition applies to gravitational forces of objects that are sufficiently far apart. It states that the net gravitational force on a point object is the vector sum of the gravitational forces on it due to various objects. The principle helps calculate the force by listing the individual forces and then vectorially summing them up. However, it should be noted that the principle of superposition is not always apparent. In the presence of a second force, the first force could...
2.2K
01:04Oscillations about an Equilibrium Position
7.1K
Stability is an important concept in oscillation. If an equilibrium point is stable, a slight disturbance of an object that is initially at the stable equilibrium point will cause the object to oscillate around that point. For an unstable equilibrium point, if the object is disturbed slightly, it will not return to the equilibrium point. There are three conditions for equilibrium points—stable, unstable, and half-stable. A half-stable equilibrium point is also unstable, but is named so...
7.1K
01:06Forced Oscillations
8.1K
When an oscillator is forced with a periodic driving force, the motion may seem chaotic. The motions of such oscillators are known as transients. After the transients die out, the oscillator reaches a steady state, where the motion is periodic, and the displacement is determined.
8.1K
01:17Sound as Pressure Waves
4.7K
Sound waves, which are longitudinal waves, can be modeled as the displacement amplitude varying as a function of the spatial and temporal coordinates. As a column of the medium is displaced, its successive columns are also displaced. As the successive displacements differ relatively, a pressure difference with the surrounding pressure is created. The gauge pressure varies across the medium.
The pressure fluctuation depends on the difference in displacements between the successive points in the...
The pressure fluctuation depends on the difference in displacements between the successive points in the...
4.7K
01:07Damped Oscillations
7.4K
In the real world, oscillations seldom follow true simple harmonic motion. A system that continues its motion indefinitely without losing its amplitude is termed undamped. However, friction of some sort usually dampens the motion, so it fades away or needs more force to continue. For example, a guitar string stops oscillating a few seconds after being plucked. Similarly, one must continually push a swing to keep a child swinging on a playground.
Although friction and other non-conservative...
Although friction and other non-conservative...
7.4K
01:17Standing Waves
5.6K
Sometimes waves do not seem to move; rather, they just vibrate in place. Unmoving waves can be seen on the surface of a glass of milk kept in a refrigerator, which is one example of standing waves. Vibrations from the refrigerator motor create waves on the milk that oscillate up and down but do not seem to move across the surface. These waves are formed or created by the superposition of two or more identical moving waves in opposite directions. The waves move through each other, with their...
5.6K