Relic Gravitons, Dominant Energy Condition and Bulk Viscous Stresses

Abstract

If the energy momentum tensor contains bulk viscous stresses violating the dominant energy condition (DOC) the energy spectra of the relic gravitons (produced at the time of the DOC's violation) increase in frequency in a calculable way. In a general relativistic context we give examples where the DOC is only violated for a limited amount of time after which the ordinary (radiation dominated) evolution takes place. We connect our discussion to some recent remarks of Grishchuk concerning the detectability of the stochastic gravitational wave background by the forthcoming interferometric detectors.

Comments: 7 pages in LaTex style. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D (Rapid Comm.)