  We show that if the new physics beyond the Standard Model is associated with
a first-order phase transition around $10^7-10^8$ GeV, the energy density
stored in the resulting stochastic gravitational waves and the corresponding
peak frequency are within the projected final sensitivity of the advanced
LIGO/VIRGO detectors. We discuss some possible new physics scenarios that could
arise at such energies, and in particular, the consequences for Peccei-Quinn
and supersymmetry breaking scales.
