Related papers: Topologically Stable Z - Strings in the Supersymme…
We give a prescription for embedding classical solutions and, in particular, topological defects in field theories which are invariant under symmetry groups that are not necessarily simple. After providing examples of embedded defects in…
We review a class of non-topological defects in the standard electroweak model, and their implications. Starting with the semilocal string, which provides a counterexample to many well known properties of topological vortices, we discuss…
We examine the Standard Model field configurations near cosmic strings in a particular class of models. This class is defined by the condition that the generator of the flux in the string, $T_s$, commutes with the Standard Model Lie…
We investigate the stability of the electroweak Z-string at high temperatures. Our results show that while finite temperature corrections can improve the stability of the Z-string, their effect is not strong enough to stabilize the Z-string…
We give a detailed stability analysis of the Z-string in the standard electroweak model. We identify the mode that determines the stability of the string and numerically map the region of parameter space where the string is stable. For…
We examine neutrino zeromode solutions on the electroweak $Z$-string and their effect on the stability of the string in the standard model and its extensions. We propose using topological invariants constructed from the momentum (and real)…
The stability of "visible" electroweak-type cosmic strings is investigated in an extension of the Standard Model (SM) by a minimal dark sector, consisting of a U(1) gauge field, broken spontaneously by a scalar. The "visible" and dark…
It is shown that the minimal left-right symmetric model admits cosmic string and domain wall solutions. The cosmic strings arise when the SU(2)_R is broken and can either be destabilized at the electroweak scale or remain stable through the…
We show that the electroweak $Z-$string can be stabilized by the presence of bound states of a complex scalar field. We argue that fermions coupled to the scalar field of the string can also make the string stable and discuss the physical…
The standard electroweak theory admits a string solution, the Z string, in which only the electrically neutral Higgs fields are excited. This solution is unstable at zero temperature: Z strings decay by exciting charged Higgs modes. In the…
The main features of the recently found classically stable quasi-topological membranes and strings in generic, topologically trivial and weakly coupled two-Higgs extensions of the standard model are briefly reviewed. A variety of localized…
We show that stable local cosmic strings are a generic prediction of supersymmetric models where supersymmetry is broken at scales within a few orders of magnitude of the weak scale and is fed down to the observable sector by gauge…
We review recent simulations of the formation of a particular class of non-topological defects known as semilocal strings during a phase transition. Semilocal strings have properties that are intermediate between topological cosmic strings…
In this talk, I discuss our recent work concerning the construction of non-supersymmetric heterotic string models which have exponentially suppressed dilaton tadpoles and cosmological constants, and thus greatly enhanced stability…
A consistent theory of supersymmetry breaking must have a hidden sector, an observable sector, and must be embedded in a locally supersymmetric theory which arises from string theory. For phenomenological reasons it must also transmit…
We map the parameter space that leads to stable Z-vortices in the electroweak model. For $sin^2 \theta_W = 0.23$, we find that the strings are unstable for a Higgs mass larger than 24 GeV. Given the latest constraints on the Higgs mass from…
In the minimal standard model we discuss stability of the Z-string configuration, which includes the zero mode connected with the broken gauge symmetry. The zero mode induces charge and current on the string and gives backreaction to the…
The weakly coupled vacuum of E_8 x E_8 heterotic string theory remains a promising candidate for the underlying theory of the Standard Model. The particle spectrum and the issue of dilaton stabilization are reviewed. Specific models for…
We discuss R-symmetries in locally supersymmetric N=2 gauge theories coupled to hypermultiplets which can be thought of as effective theories of heterotic superstring models. In this type of supergravities a suitable R-symmetry exists and…
The discovery of the Higgs boson at the LHC supports the hypothesis that the Standard Model provides an effective parameterisation of all subatomic experimental data up to the Planck scale. String theory, which provides a viable…