Hearing Higgs with gravitational wave detectors

The relic gravitational wave background due to tensor linear perturbations generated during Higgs inflation is computed. Both the Standard Model and a well-motivated phenomenological completion (that accounts for all the experimentally confirmed evidence of new physics) are considered. We focus on critical Higgs inflation, which improves on the non-critical version and features an amplification of the tensor fluctuations. The latter property allows us to establish that future space-borne interferometers, such as DECIGO, BBO and ALIA, may detect the corresponding primordial gravitational waves.

Automated summary

The study calculates the relic gravitational wave background generated by tensor linear perturbations during Higgs inflation, considering both the Standard Model and a well-motivated phenomenological completion. It focuses on critical Higgs inflation, which amplifies the tensor fluctuations and suggests that future space-borne interferometers may detect the corresponding primordial gravitational waves.