Abstract:

In the next decade, gravitational wave observatories (such as LIGO and LISA) will reach a sensitivity where they will be able to detect gravitational waves with an energy less than that of the cosmic microwave background. This new capability will allow us to probe an enormous range of scales and times in the early universe about which we currently have no information. Properties of specific sources will be discussed, including mesoscopic activity of possible extra spatial dimensions. A new detection strategy will be described for detecting broad-band backgrounds with LISA.