Related papers: Cosmic String Loops, Large and Small
We study the evolution of abelian-Higgs string networks in numerical simulations. These are compared against a modified velocity-dependent one scale model for cosmic string network evolution. This incorporates the contributions of loop…
We present the properties of a cosmic superstring network in the scenario of flux compactification. An infinite family of strings, the (p,q)-strings, are allowed to exist. The flux compactification leads to a string tension that is periodic…
The unique, conical spacetime created by cosmic strings brings about distinctive gravitational lensing phenomena. The variety of these distinctive phenomena is increased when the strings have non-trivial mutual interactions. In particular,…
In this thesis we describe high-harmonic cosmic string loops in a general relativistic context, and study the implications of high-harmonic content for the predicted gravitational wave signal from cosmic string networks. Initially, we…
In determining the gravitational signal of cusps from a network of cosmic strings loops, a number of key parameters have to be assumed. These include the typical number of cusps per period of string oscillation and the typical values of the…
We investigate the emission of vector radiation by superconducting cosmic string loops, deriving general relations to characterize the vector radiation emission efficiency, and study its impact on the evolution of loops. Building on these…
The number of cosmic strings in the observable universe is relevant in determining the probability of detecting such cosmic defects through their gravitational signatures. In particular, we refer to the observation of gravitational lensing…
If cosmic strings are formed in the early universe, their associated loops emit gravitational waves during the whole cosmic history and contribute to the stochastic gravitational wave background at all frequencies. We provide a new estimate…
We account for particle emission and gravitational radiation from cosmic string loops to determine their effect on the loop distribution and observational signatures of strings. The effect of particle emission is that the number density of…
An analytic model of long string network evolution, recently developed by the authors, is presented in detail, and modified to describe string loop evolution. By treating the average string velocity, as well as the characteristic…
Cosmic strings can be created in the early universe during symmetry-breaking phase transitions, such as might arise if the gauge structure of the standard model is extended by additional U(1) factors at high energies. Cosmic strings present…
We calculate the deflection of a light ray caused by the gravitational field of a cosmic string loop in the weak field limit and reduce the problem to a single quadrature over a time slice of the loop's world sheet. We then apply this…
We study the deflection of light in the background of a "wiggly" cosmic string, and investigate whether it is possible to detect cosmic strings by means of weak gravitational lensing. For straight strings without small-scale structure there…
A novel mechanism for the production of a cosmic network of fundamental superstrings based on a time-varying string tension has been recently proposed in the context of a kinating background driven by the volume modulus of string…
Junctions on cosmic string loops give rise to the proliferation of sharp kinks. We study the effect of this proliferation on the gravitational wave (GW) signals emitted from string networks with junctions, assuming a scaling solution. We…
We set up and analyse a model for the non-equilibrium evolution of a network of cosmic strings initially containing only loops and no infinite strings. Due to this particular initial condition, our analytical approach differs significantly…
Based on a binary tree model for the self intersection of cosmic string loops containing high harmonics we estimate the number of self-intersections of the parent and daughter loops and the associated cusp production to determine the most…
The topic of cosmic strings provides a bridge between the physics of the very small and the very large. They are predicted by some unified theories of particle interactions. If they exist, they may help to explain some of the largest-scale…
We simulate the formation of cosmic strings at the zeros of a complex Gaussian field with a power spectrum $P(k) \propto k^n$, specifically addressing the issue of the fraction of length in infinite strings. We make two improvements over…
Complicated cosmic string loops will fragment until they reach simple, non-intersecting ("stable") configurations. Through extensive numerical study we characterize these attractor loop shapes including their length, velocity, kink, and…