Related papers: Constraints on cosmic strings from ultracompact mi…
Cosmic strings and primordial black holes (PBHs) commonly and naturally form in many scenarios describing the early universe. Here we show that if both cosmic strings and PBHs are present, their interaction leads to a range of interesting…
Cosmic strings, if they exist, source nonlinear and non-Gaussian perturbations all the way back to the time of equal matter and radiation (and earlier). Here, we compute the mass function of halos seeded by a scaling distribution of cosmic…
Cosmic string loops are non-linear density fluctuations which form in the early universe and could play an important role in explaining many phenomena which are in tension with the standard $\Lambda$CDM model. Hence, the details of the…
We present the first fully general relativistic dynamical simulations of Abelian Higgs cosmic strings using 3+1D numerical relativity. Focusing on cosmic string loops, we show that they collapse due to their tension and can either (i)…
Cosmic strings can give rise to a large variety of interesting astrophysical phenomena. Among them, powerful bursts of gravitational waves (GWs) produced by cusps are a promising observational signature. In this Letter we present a search…
We present projected constraints on the cosmic string tension, $G\mu/c^2$, that could be achieved by future gravitational wave detection experiments and express our results as semi-analytic relations of the form $G\mu(\Omega_{\rm…
Gravitational wave signatures from cosmic strings are analyzed numerically. Cosmic string networks form during phase transistions in the early universe and these networks of long cosmic strings break into loops that radiate energy in the…
The formation of cusps on long cosmic strings is discussed and the probability of cusp formation is estimated. The energy distribution of the gamma-ray background due to cusp annihilation on long strings is calculated and compared to…
Cosmic strings are topological defects possibly formed in the early Universe, which may be observable due to their gravitational effects on the cosmic microwave background radiation or gravitational wave experiments. To this effect it is…
Cosmic strings induce minihalo formation in the early universe. The resultant minihalos cluster in string wakes and create a "21 cm forest" against the cosmic microwave background (CMB) spectrum. Such a 21 cm forest can contribute to…
Primordial black holes (PBHs) are of fundamental interest in cosmology and astrophysics, and have received much attention as a dark matter candidate and as a potential source of gravitational waves. One possible PBH formation mechanism is…
Events like inflation or phase transitions can produce large density perturbations on very small scales in the early Universe. Probes of small scales are therefore useful for e.g. discriminating between inflationary models. Until recently,…
It was proposed that the massive compact halo objects (MCHOs) would be produced during an earlier epoch of cosmology if the density perturbations are between $3 \times 10^{-4}$ and 0.3. Then these objects can accrete dark matter particles…
We investigate the contribution made by small loops from a cosmic string network as seeds for large-scale structure formation. We show that cosmic string loops are highly correlated with the long-string network on large scales and therefore…
We examine the effects of cosmic strings on structure formation and on the ionization history of the universe. While Gaussian perturbations from inflation are known to provide the dominant contribution to the large scale structure of the…
Cosmic superstrings of string theory differ from conventional cosmic strings of field theory. We review how the physical and cosmological properties of the macroscopic string loops influence experimental searches for these relics from the…
We study the accretion of hot dark matter onto moving cosmic string loops, using an adaptation of the Zeldovich approximation to HDM. We show that a large number of nonlinear objects of mass greater than $10^{12}M_\odot$, which could be the…
We re-visit the production of cosmic rays by cusps on cosmic strings. If a scalar field (``Higgs'') has a linear interaction with the string world-sheet, such as would occur if there is a bosonic condensate on the string, cusps on string…
When moduli roll in the early universe, all physical scales - including string tensions - simultaneously evolve. The dynamics of cosmic string loops with time-varying tension can produce cosmic string loop trackers in which most of the…
Understanding of the signatures of cosmic string networks is limited by a large uncertainty in the sizes at which cosmic string loops form. We review cosmic string network evolution, and the gravitational signatures, with emphasis on this…