Observational constraints on theories with a blue spectrum of tensor modes

Motivated by the string gas cosmological model, which predicts a blue tilt of the primordial gravitational wave spectrum, we examine the constraints imposed by current and planned observations on a blue tilted tensor spectrum. Starting from an expression for the primordial gravitational wave spectrum normalized using cosmic microwave background observations, pulsar timing, direct detection and nucleosynthesis bounds are examined. If we assume a tensor-to-scalar ratio on scales of the cosmic microwave background which equals the current observational upper bound, we obtain from these current observations constraints on the tensor spectral index of n(T) less than or similar to 0.79, n(T) less than or similar to 0.53, and n(T) less than or similar to 0.15 respectively.