Related papers: String Production in the Abelian Higgs Vacuum

We study the diffusion of massive particles in the space time of an Abelian Higgs string. The particles in the early universe plasma execute Brownian motion. This motion of the particles is modeled as a two dimensional random walk in the…

We show that axions can be produced from Abelian-Higgs cosmic strings due to the axion-gauge coupling. The strong magnetic field is confined in the string, and the electric field is induced around the moving string, allowing axion…

Primordial gravitational waves provide a very important stochastic background that could be detected soon with interferometric gravitational wave antennas or indirectly via the induced patterns in the polarization anisotropies of the cosmic…

We study the pair creation of point-particles and strings in a time-dependent, weak gravitational field. We find that, for massive string states, there are surprising and significant differences between the string and point-particle…

We study the evolution of Abelian-Higgs string networks in large-scale numerical simulations in both a static and expanding background. We measure the properties of the network by tracing the motion of the string cores, for the first time…

I report on recent numerical simulations of the simplest field theory with cosmic string solutions, the Abelian Higgs model. We find that random networks of string quickly converge to a scaling solution in which the network scale length…

We give a simple derivation of a new formal expression for the number of particles produced from a conformal scalar field vacuum due to the creation of a gauge cosmic string. We find that the number of particles released in string formation…

When gauged cosmic strings form in a symmetry-breaking phase transition, the gauge field configuration at the time becomes imprinted in the spatial string distribution by the flux trapping mechanism. It is shown that quantum and thermal…

Topological defects form at cosmological phase transitions by the Kibble mechanism, with cosmic strings and superstrings having the most interesting phenomenology. A rigorous analysis of their astrophysical consequences is limited by the…

We consider string pair production in non homogeneous electric backgrounds. We study several particular configurations which can be addressed with the Euclidean world-sheet instanton technique, the analogue of the world-line instanton for…

Topological defects form at cosmological phase transitions by the Kibble mechanism. Cosmic strings and superstrings can lead to particularly interesting astrophysical and cosmological consequences, but this study is is currently limited by…

We study the stability of superconducting strings in a U(1)_{local} x U(1)_{global} model coupled via a gauge field interaction term to U(1) Abelian-Higgs strings. The effect of the interaction on current stability is numerically…

Classical lattice simulations of the Abelian Higgs model are used to investigate small scale structure and loop distributions in cosmic string networks. Use of the field theory ensures that the small-scale physics is captured correctly. The…

We present the results of a field theory simulation of networks of strings in the Abelian Higgs model. Starting from a random initial configuration we show that the resulting vortex tangle approaches a self-similar regime in which the…

We propose a new mechanism to generate baryons. Electroweak strings produced at the electroweak phase transition will introduce anomalous currents through interactions of the strings with the background electromagnetic field and through…

Pair creation of strings in time-dependent backgrounds is studied from an effective field theory viewpoint, and some possible cosmological applications are discussed. Simple estimates suggest that excited strings may have played a…

Using lattice field simulations of the Abelian-Higgs model, we characterize the simultaneous emission of (scalar and gauge) particles and gravitational waves (GWs) by local string loops. We use {\it network} loops created in a phase…

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)…

Starting from the Abelian Higgs field theory, we construct the theory of quantum Abrikosov--Nielsen--Olesen strings. It is shown that in four space -- time dimensions in the limit of infinitely thin strings, the conformal anomaly is absent,…

We study the instability of the Higgs vacuum caused by a cloud of strings. By catalysis, the decay rate of the vacuum is highly enhanced and, when the energy density of the cloud is larger than the critical value, a semi-classical vacuum…