Related papers: More is Different: Multi-Axion Dynamics Changes To…
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…
Periodic boundary conditions are a common theoretical and computational tool used to emulate effectively infinite domains. However, two-dimensional periodic domains are topologically distinct from the infinite plane, eliciting the question:…
The investigation of the inhomogeneities in modern inflationary Universe scenarios is related, in particular, with the study of the role played by scalar fields in cosmological evolution. We present the model described by one of the…
We have studied numerically the evolution and decay of axion strings. These global defects decay mainly by axion emission and thus contribute to the cosmological axion density. The relative importance of this source relative to misalignment…
Many physical systems are well described on domains which are relatively large in some directions but relatively thin in other directions. In this scenario we typically expect the system to have emergent structures that vary slowly over the…
We study the domain wall problem of an axion in chaotic inflation models. We show that the production of domain walls does not occurs if the Peccei-Quinn scalar has a flat potential and its breaking $F_{a}$ is larger than $\sim 10^{15}$GeV.…
As a granular material is compressed, the particles and forces within the system arrange to form complex heterogeneous structures. Force chains are a prime example and are thought to constrain bulk properties such as mechanical stability…
Axions arising as modes of higher-dimensional gauge fields are known to offer a compelling solution to the axion quality problem and to naturally arise in string theory. In this context, it is interesting to ask how we would interpret an…
Various authors have noted that in particular models, the upper bound on the axion decay constant may not hold. We point out that within supersymmetry, this is a generic issue. For large decay constants, the cosmological problems associated…
Composite axion scenarios offer a robust field theoretic justification for the existence of a Peccei-Quinn symmetry of high quality. We present a new class of realizations that are naturally embedded in Grand-Unified Theories, retain…
Domain walls are the simplest type of topological defects formed at cosmological phase transitions, and one of the most constrained. Their studies typically assume a quartic double well potential, but this model is not fully representative…
In generic models for grand unified theories(GUT), various types of baryon number violating processes are expected when quarks and leptons propagate in the background of GUT strings. On the other hand, in models with large extra dimensions,…
Invoking the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) solution to the strong CP problem substitutes the puzzle of why $\theta_{qcd}$ is so small with the puzzle of why the PQ symmetry is of such high quality. Cosmological and astrophysical considerations raise…
Cosmological moduli generically come to dominate the energy density of the early universe, and thereby trigger an early matter dominated era. Such non-standard cosmological histories are expected to have profound effects on the evolution…
QCD was shown to have a nontrivial vacuum structure due to the topology of the theta = theta+2*pi*n parameter. As a result of this nontrivial topology, in the large N_c limit, quasi-stable QCD domain walls appear, characterized by a…
We propose a scenario where the spontaneous breakdown of the Peccei-Quinn symmetry leads to monopole production. Both the axion and the monopole contribute to dark matter, and the Witten effect on the axion mass is a built-in feature. In…
Topological defects are produced during phase transitions in the very early Universe. They arise in most unified theories of strong, weak and electromagnetic interactions. These lectures focus on the role of topological defects in…
The domain wall problem of the Peccei-Quinn mechanism can be solved if the Peccei-Quinn symmetry is explicitly broken by a small amount. Domain walls decay into axions, which may account for dark matter of the universe. This scheme is…
Pattern formation has been extensively studied in the context of evolving (time-dependent) domains in recent years, with domain growth implicated in ameliorating problems of pattern robustness and selection, in addition to more realistic…
We demonstrate that field theories involving explicit breaking of continous symmetries, incorporate two generic classes of topological defects each of which is stable for a particular range of parameters. The first class includes defects of…