Related papers: Topological structures, dark matter and gravitatio…
We propose to search for a new type of gravitational wave signature relevant for particle physics models with symmetries broken at vastly different energy scales. The spectrum contains a characteristic double-peak structure consisting of a…
Since it has been pointed out that physics beyond the Standard Model may be constrained by gravitational waves from cosmic strings, it has been more important to clarify in what cases cosmic strings are formed. We study the stability of the…
We study a new source of stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) from the final collapse of a network of topological defects. Typically, the final collapse is considered negligible for generating gravitational waves (GWs) due to its…
New physics beyond the Standard Model can give rise to stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds, for example through cosmic strings. In this way, gravitational-wave searches with pulsar-timing arrays as well as existing and future laser…
We analyze the gravitational wave signatures of a network of metastable cosmic strings. We consider the case of cosmic string instability to breakage, with no primordial population of monopoles. This scenario is well motivated from GUT and…
The weakly coupled vacuum of $E_8\otimes E_8$ heterotic string theory remains an attractive scenario for phenomenolgy and cosmology. The particle spectrum is reviewed and the issues of gauge coupling unification, dilaton stabilization and…
Formation and evolution of topological defects in course of non-equilibrium symmetry breaking phase transitions is of wide interest in many areas of physics, from cosmology through condensed matter to low temperature physics. Its study in…
Concrete semi-realistic string/M theory constructions often predict the existence of new physics at the TeV scale, which may be different in character from the bottom-up ideas that are motivated by specific problems of the standard model. I…
In these lectures I discuss the possibility that superstrings of cosmic length might exist and be observable. I first review the original idea of cosmic strings arising as gauge theory solitons, and discuss in particular their network…
We discuss dark energy, dark matter and the hierarchy problem in the context of a general non-commutative formulation of string theory. In this framework dark energy is generated by the dynamical geometry of the dual spacetime while dark…
In these lectures, I review cosmological phase transitions and the topological aspects of spontaneous symmetry breaking. I then discuss the formation of walls, strings and monopoles during phase transitions including lattice based studies…
We study dark matter production by decaying topological defects, in particular cosmic strings. In topological defect or "top-down" (TD) scenarios, the dark matter injection rate varies as a power law with time with exponent $p-4$. We find a…
Flat directions are a generic feature of the scalar potential in supersymmetric gauge field theories. They can arise, for example, from D-terms associated with an extra abelian gauge symmetry. Even when supersymmetry is broken softly, there…
Potentially realistic string models often contain additional abelian gauge factors besides the standard model group. The consequences of such extended gauge structure are manifold both for theory and phenomenology as I show focussing in the…
Cosmological domain walls appear in many well-motivated extensions to the standard model of particle physics. If produced, they quickly enter into a self-similar scaling regime, where they are capable of efficiently sourcing a stochastic…
It has been suggested that cosmological dark matter may include a population of vortons (meaning small centrifugally stabilised cosmic string loops) as an outcome of (non-standard) electroweak symmetry breaking. The implications for this…
Appearance of cosmic strings in the early Universe is a common manifestation of new physics typically linked to some high energy scale. In this paper, we discuss a different situation, where a model underlying cosmic string formation is…
Contrary to the standard model that does not admit topologically nontrivial solitons, two Higgs doublet models admit topologically stable vortex strings and domain walls. We numerically confirm the existence of a topological $Z$-string…
In 2D topological systems chiral edges may exhibit a spectral change due to the formation of a Bose condensate and partial confinement in the bulk according to the topological symmetry breaking (TSB) mechanism. We analyze in detail what…
Proton decay is a smoking gun signature of Grand Unified Theories (GUTs). Searches by Super-Kamiokande have resulted in stringent limits on the GUT symmetry breaking scale. The large-scale multipurpose neutrino experiments DUNE,…