Related papers: Comment on "More Axions from Strings''
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…
We report on a large scale numerical study of networks of semilocal cosmic strings in flat space in the parameter regime in which they are perturbatively stable. We find a population of segments with an exponential length distribution and…
Understanding axion cosmology has important experimental consequences since it constrains the range of allowed values for the axion mass. In the standard thermal scenario, which assumes Peccei-Quinn symmetry restoration after inflation, an…
The QCD axion solving the strong CP problem may originate from antisymmetric tensor gauge fields in compactified string theory, with a decay constant around the GUT scale. Such possibility appears to be ruled out now by the detection of…
String-inspired axion model is considered to comprehensively solve the problems of modern cosmology, Hubble tension problem, the origin of the stochastic gravitational wave background, and too early formation of supermassive black holes at…
Current measurements of the Hubble constant $H_0$ on scale less than $\sim100$ Mpc appear to be controversial, while the observations made at high redshift seem to provide a relatively low value. On the other hand, the Hubble expansion is…
We study the classical cosmic string solution in a theory with dynamical $U(1)$ symmetry breaking. We calculate the energy per unit length of the string and compare it to that obtained in a model with a fundamental Higgs. We find that the…
We discuss the problem of estimating the characteristic length scale $\xi_{\rm s}$, and hence the initial density, of a system of cosmic strings formed at a continuous, second-order phase transition in the early universe. In particular, we…
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,…
Various theoretical and experimental considerations motivate models with high scale supersymmetry breaking. While such models may be difficult to test in colliders, we propose looking for signatures at much lower energies. We show that a…
Low scale string models naturally have axion-like pseudoscalars which couple directly to gluons and photons (but not $W$s) at tree level. We show how they typically get tree level masses in the presence of closed string fluxes, consistent…
A novel mechanism to produce a cosmic network of fundamental superstrings based on a time-varying string tension has been recently proposed. It has been found that fundamental superstrings can grow in a kinating background driven by the…
We consider the gravitational lensing produced by long cosmic strings formed in a GUT scale phase transition. We derive a formula for the deflection of photons which pass near the strings that reduces to an integral over the light cone…
We develop velocity-dependent models describing the evolution of string networks that involve several types of interacting strings, each with a different tension. These incorporate the formation of Y-type junctions with links stretching…
Topological defects are a fossil relic of early Universe phase transitions, with cosmic strings being the best motivated example. While in most cases one studies Nambu-Goto or Abelian-Higgs strings, one also expects that cosmologically…
Cosmic string networks are expected to form in early Universe phase transitions via the Kibble mechanism and are unavoidable in several Beyond the Standard Model theories. While most predictions of observational signals of string networks…
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 argue that cosmic strings with high winding numbers generally form in first-order gauge symmetry breaking phase transitions, and we demonstrate this using computer simulations. These strings are heavier than single-winding strings and…
We examine the scaling properties of an evolving network of strings in Minkowski spacetime and study the evolution of length scales in terms of a 3-scale model proposed by Austin, Copeland and Kibble (ACK). We find good qualitative and some…
The discrepancy in measurements of the Hubble constant indicates new physics in dark energy, dark matter, or both. Drawing inspiration from string theory, where axions interact with the other moduli fields, including the dilaton, here we…