Related papers: Metastable Strings and Gravitational Waves in One-…
We study the fate of U(1) strings embedded in a non-Abelian gauge theory with a hierarchical pattern of the symmetry breaking: G->U(1) at V->nothing at v, V>>v. While in the low-energy limit the Abrikosov-Nielsen-Olesen string (flux tube)…
Starting with exact solutions to string theory on curved spacetimes we obtain deformations that represent gravitational shock waves. These may exist in the presence or absence of sources. Sources are effectively induced by a tachyon field…
Gravitational waves (GWs) are one of the key signatures of cosmic strings. If GWs from cosmic strings are detected in future experiments, not only their existence can be confirmed but also their properties might be probed. In this paper, we…
We show that in a wide class of string derived models of particle physics, heavy string modes with masses around the GUT scale can serve as a viable dark matter candidate. These heavy string modes wind around specific cycles in the…
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…
Global cosmic strings are predicted in many motivated extensions to the Standard Model of particle physics, with close connections to axion dark matter physics. Recent studies suggest that, although subdominant relative to Goldstone…
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…
If the Universe underwent a cosmic phase transition, it may have left behind a network of cosmic strings. When these strings arise from the breaking of a gauge symmetry, their decay produces a significant stochastic background of…
By extending the scalar sector of the Standard Model (SM) by a U(1) singlet, we show that the electroweak symmetry breaking enables the formation of a stable, electrically neutral, colorless Q-ball which couples to the SM particle spectrum…
We present the simplest, string-derivable, supergravity model and discuss its experimental consequences. This model is a new string-inspired flipped $SU(5)$ which unifies at the string scale $M_U=10^{18}\GeV$ due to the introduction of an…
Some black hole mimickers, as well as black strings and other higher-dimensional spacetimes, exhibit stable light rings-regions where light or high-frequency gravitational waves can be trapped. In these regions, linear perturbations decay…
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…
The so-called metastability bound asserts that an unnaturally small Higgs mass is a necessary condition for electroweak vacuum metastability, offering a new approach towards solving the hierarchy problem. So far, this result relies on the…
Even if SUSY is not present at the Electro-Weak scale, string theory suggests its presence at some scale M_{SS} below the string scale M_s to guarantee the absence of tachyons. We explore the possible value of M_{SS} consistent with gauge…
We perform a three dimensional lattice simulation of the electroweak symmetry breaking process through a two-step phase transition, where one of the two steps is a first order phase transition. Our results show that: 1) when the electroweak…
We consider an alternative approach for the computation of the stochastic gravitational wave background generated by small loops produced throughout the cosmological evolution of cosmic string networks and use it to derive an analytical…
First-order phase transitions in a dark sector have been invoked as an intriguing possibility to explain the observed stochastic gravitational wave background at nanohertz frequencies. Here we perform a comprehensive study of the generic…
Within a slightly simplified version of the electroweak standard model we investigate the stabilization of cosmic strings by fermion quantum fluctuations. Previous studies of quantum energies considered variants of the Nielsen-Olesen…
We study domain wall induced by spontaneously broken $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry and its gravitational wave signature in the standard model with a complex scalar in connection with dark matter physics. In a minimal setup, a linear term of the…
Predictions for the scale of SUSY breaking from the string landscape go back at least a decade to the work of Denef and Douglas on the statistics of flux vacua. The assumption that an assortment of SUSY breaking F and D terms are present in…