Astrophysical Sources of Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background

TL;DR

This paper reviews the spectral characteristics of astrophysical stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds and discusses how future interferometers could constrain properties of astrophysical sources like magnetars and binary coalescence rates.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of spectral properties and explores how upcoming detectors can constrain astrophysical source parameters.

Findings

Next-generation interferometers can set constraints on magnetar ellipticity and magnetic fields.

Future searches may determine coalescence rates of compact binaries.

Spectral differences can distinguish astrophysical from primordial backgrounds.

Abstract

We review the spectral properties of stochastic backgrounds of astrophysical origin and discuss how they may differ from the primordial contribution by their statistical properties. We show that stochastic searches with the next generation of terrestrial interferometers could put interesting constrains on the physical properties of astrophysical populations, such as the ellipticity and magnetic field of magnetars, or the coalescence rate of compact binaries.