Stochastic gravitational wave background: methods and Implications

Understand

Beyond individually resolvable gravitational wave events such as binary black hole and binary neutron star mergers, the superposition of many more weak signals coming from a multitude of sources is expected to contribute to an overall background, the so-called stochastic gravitational wave background.

• In this review, we give an overview of possible detection methods in the search for this background and provide a detailed review of the data-analysis techniques, focusing primarily on current Earth-based interferometric gravitational-wave detectors.
• In addition, various validation techniques aimed at reinforcing the claim of a detection of such a background are discussed as well.
• We conclude this review by listing some of the astrophysical and cosmological implications resulting from current upper limits on the stochastic background of gravitational waves.