A disintegrating cosmic string
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
2009-11-07 v1
Abstract
We present a simple sandwich gravitational wave of the Robinson-Trautman family. This is interpreted as representing a shock wave with a spherical wavefront which propagates into a Minkowski background minus a wedge. (i.e. the background contains a cosmic string.) The deficit angle (the tension) of the string decreases through the gravitational wave, which then ceases. This leaves an expanding spherical region of Minkowski space behind it. The decay of the cosmic string over a finite interval of retarded time may be considered to generate the gravitational wave.
Cite
@article{arxiv.gr-qc/0204085,
title = {A disintegrating cosmic string},
author = {J. B. Griffiths and P. Docherty},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:gr-qc/0204085},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
3 pages, 1 figure, to appear in Class. Quantum Grav