Related papers: Analytic Study of Small Scale Structure on Cosmic …
We study the evolution of cosmic strings taking into account the frictional force due to the surrounding radiation. We consider small perturbations on straight strings, oscillation of circular loops and small perturbations on circular…
The equation governing the time evolution of the number density of loops in a cosmic string network is a detailed balance determined by energy conservation. We solve this equation with the inclusion of the gravitational radiation effect…
We present the properties of a cosmic superstring network in the scenario of flux compactification. An infinite family of strings, the (p,q)-strings, are allowed to exist. The flux compactification leads to a string tension that is periodic…
We analyze the shapes of cosmic string loops found in large-scale simulations of an expanding-universe string network. The simulation does not include gravitational back reaction, but we model that process by smoothing the loop using…
Cosmic string networks form during cosmological phase transitions as a consequence of the Kibble mechanism. The evolution of the simplest networks is accurately described by the canonical Velocity Dependent One-Scale (VOS) model. However,…
Cosmic (super)strings offer promising ways to test ideas about the early universe and physics at high energies. While in field theory constructions their tension is usually assumed to be constant (or at most slowly-varying), this is often…
We describe a numerical simulation of the evolution of an $S_3$ cosmic string network which takes fully into account the non-commutative nature of the cosmic string fluxes and the topological obstructions which hinder strings from moving…
The intersection of string theory with cosmology is unavoidable in the early universe, and its exploration may shine light on both fields. In this thesis, three papers at this intersection are presented and reviewed, with the aim of…
Cosmic strings provide a radically different paradigm for the formation of structure to the prevailing inflationary one. They afford some extra technical complications: for example, the calculation of the power spectrum of matter and…
The velocity-dependent `one-scale' model of Martins and Shellard is used to study the evolution of a cosmic string network (and the corresponding loop population) in open universes. It is shown that in this case there is no linear scaling…
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…
We use the Velocity-dependent One Scale Model for topological defect evolution to explore and classify the possible scaling solutions for string networks with time-varying tension, in cosmological and non-cosmological settings and under two…
We consider the evolution of a network of strings in an expanding universe, allowing for the formation of junctions between strings of different tensions. By explicitly including, in the velocity-dependent evolution equations for the…
In this paper we find new scaling laws for the evolution of $p$-brane networks in $N+1$-dimensional Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universes in the weakly-interacting limit, giving particular emphasis to the case of cosmic superstrings ($p=1$)…
An analytic model of long string network evolution, recently developed by the authors, is presented in detail, and modified to describe string loop evolution. By treating the average string velocity, as well as the characteristic…
The dynamics of string junctions and their influence on the evolution of cosmic superstring networks are studied in full detail. We review kinematic constraints for colliding strings in a Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker background and…
The topic of cosmic strings provides a bridge between the physics of the very small and the very large. They are predicted by some unified theories of particle interactions. If they exist, they may help to explain some of the largest-scale…
We study the approach to scaling in axion string networks in the radiation era, through measuring the root-mean-square velocity $v$ as well as the scaled mean string separation $x$. We find good evidence for a fixed point in the phase-space…
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…
We examine the compatibility between the one scale model with friction for the evolution of cosmic string networks with the Kibble mechanism for string network formation during a second order phase transition. We find a regime which…