Detection of gravitational waves from the QCD phase transition with pulsar timing arrays

TL;DR

This paper investigates the potential for pulsar timing arrays to detect gravitational waves generated by a strongly first-order QCD phase transition in the early universe, estimating the signal's amplitude and spectral shape.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed estimation of the gravitational wave background from a first-order QCD phase transition and assesses its detectability with current and future pulsar timing arrays.

Findings

Estimated the amplitude and spectral shape of the gravitational wave background.

Discussed the detectability prospects with pulsar timing experiments.

Highlighted conditions under which the signal could be observed.

Abstract

If the cosmological QCD phase transition is strongly first order and lasts sufficiently long, it generates a background of gravitational waves which may be detected via pulsar timing experiments. We estimate the amplitude and the spectral shape of such a background and we discuss its detectability prospects.