V. Ferrari et al., Stochastic background of gravitational waves generated by a cosmological population of young, rapidly rotating neutron stars, M NOT R AST, 303(2), 1999, pp. 258-264
We estimate the spectral properties of the stochastic background of gravita
tional radiation emitted by a cosmological population of hot, young, rapidl
y rotating neutron stars. Their formation rate as a function of redshift is
deduced from an observation-based determination of the star formation hist
ory in the Universe, and the gravitational energy is assumed to be radiated
during the spin-down phase associated with the newly discovered r-mode ins
tability. We calculate the overall signal produced by the ensemble of such
neutron stars, assuming various cosmological backgrounds. We find that the-
spectral strain amplitude has a maximum approximate to(2-4)x10(-26) Hz(-1/2
), at frequencies approximate to(30-60) Hz, while the corresponding closure
density, h(2) Omega(GW), has a maximum amplitude plateau of approximate to
(2.2-3.3)x10(-8) in the frequency range (500-1700) Hz. We compare our resul
ts with a preliminary analysis done by Owen et al., and discuss the detecta
bility of this background.