Related papers: Axion string cosmology and its controversies
If the dark matter is composed of axions, then axion stars are expected to be abundant in the Universe. We demonstrate in fully non-linear (3+1) numerical relativity the instability of compact axion stars due to the electromagnetic…
Axion-like dark matter whose symmetry breaking occurs after the end of inflation predicts enhanced primordial density fluctuations at small scales. This leads to dense axion minihalos (or miniclusters) forming early in the history of the…
We examine the spectrum of gravitational radiation emitted by a network of cosmic strings, with emphasis on the observational constraints and the opportunities for detection. The analysis improves over past work, as we use a…
We study the generation of cosmological perturbations during the Hagedorn phase of string gas cosmology. Using tools of string thermodynamics we provide indications that it may be possible to obtain a nearly scale-invariant spectrum of…
Making use of the wealth of new observational data coming from the sky it is possible to constrain particle physics theories beyond the Standard Model. One way to do this is illustrated in this article: a subset of theories admits cosmic…
It is shown that the post-inflationary quantum chromodynamics (QCD) axion need not lead to a unique one-parameter prediction for the dark matter abundance whenever small explicit Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking becomes dynamically relevant…
The cosmic string scenario in an open universe is developed -- including the equations of motion, a model of network evolution, the large angular scale CMB temperature anisotropy, and the power spectrum of density fluctuations produced by…
The observed properties of stars and especially the neutrino signal of the supernova 1987A provide an upper limit to the axion mass, while the age and expansion rate of the universe provide a lower limit. There remains a "window of…
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…
A class of grand unified theories with symmetry breaking scale of order $10^{16} GeV$ have a Higgs particle with mass in the $TeV$ scale. The cosmology of such theories is very different from usual. We study the cosmic strings obtained in…
I report recent studies on the evolution of perturbations in the context of the ``pre-big-bang" scenario typical of string cosmology, with emphasis on the formation of a stochastic background of relic photons and gravitons, and its possible…
The string axiverse presents a fascinating and complex landscape for axion physics. In this work, we study axion mass mixing within the type IIB string axiverse, focusing specifically on the LARGE volume scenario (LVS) axiverse. The LVS…
The cosmic string theory for cosmological fluctuations is a good example of healthy scientific progress in cosmology. It is a well defined physically motivated model that has been tested by cosmological observations and has been ruled out…
Gravitational wave signatures from cosmic strings are analyzed numerically. Cosmic string networks form during phase transistions in the early universe and these networks of long cosmic strings break into loops that radiate energy in the…
We study the parameter space of cold dark matter axions in two cosmological scenarios with non-standard thermal histories before Big Bang nucleosynthesis: the Low Temperature Reheating (LTR) cosmology and the kination cosmology. If the…
There has been recent interest in the evolution and cosmological consequences of global axionic string networks, and in particular in the issue of whether or not these networks reach the scale-invariant scaling solution that is known to…
We show results for the expected reach of the network of experiments that is being set up globally with the aim of detecting the "invisible" axion, in light of a non-standard thermal history of the universe. Assuming that the axion is the…
When Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry breaking happens after inflation, the axion field takes random values in causally disconnected regions. This leads to fluctuations of order one in the axion energy density around the QCD epoch. These…
We propose a scenario where the saxion dominates the energy density of the Universe and reheats the standard model sector via the dilatonic coupling, while its axionic partner contributes to dark matter decaying into photons via the same…
Axion physics is briefly reviewed. Constraints from laboratory searches, astrophysics and cosmology require the axion mass to be in the range $10^{-6} \lesssim m_a < 3\cdot 10^{-3}$eV. Near the lower end of this range, axions are all or a…