Related papers: Superstring dominated early universe and epoch dep…
Atomic and molecular transitions for high Z objects in the early universe give bounds to the possible existence of extra spatial dimensions $D = 3+\epsilon$. We review the theory and present observational data, based on Lyman and Balmer…
We consider braneworld scenarios including the leading correction to the Einstein-Hilbert action suggested by superstring theory, the Gauss-Bonnet term. We obtain and study the complete set of equations governing the cosmological dynamics.…
Cosmological scalar fields coupled to the Standard Model drive temporal variations in the fundamental constants that grow with redshift, positioning the early Universe as a powerful tool to study such models. We investigate the dynamics and…
We study the behaviour of cosmic string networks in contracting universes, and discuss some of their possible consequences. We note that there is a fundamental time asymmetry between defect network evolution for an expanding universe and a…
We review electric/magnetic duality in $N=4$ (and certain $N=2$) globally supersymmetric gauge theories and show how this duality, which relates strong to weak coupling, follows as a consequence of a string/string duality. Black holes,…
We provide an explicit calculation of the evolution of the cosmic entanglement entropy in the early universe before the matter dominant era. This is made possible by invoking the generalized Chaplygin gas (GCG) model, which has the…
An epoch of matter domination in the early universe can enhance the primordial stochastic gravitational wave signal, potentially making it detectable to upcoming gravitational wave experiments. However, the resulting gravitational wave…
Recently, a new framework for solving the hierarchy problem has been proposed which does not rely on low energy supersymmetry or technicolor. The gravitational and gauge interactions unite at the electroweak scale, and the observed weakness…
We interpret certain strong coupling singularities of the $E_8\times E_8$ heterotic string on K3 in terms of exotic six-dimensional theories in which $E_8$ is a gauge symmetry. These theories are closely related to theories obtained at…
Cosmic strings, a hot subject in the 1980's and early 1990's, lost its appeal when it was found that it leads to inconsistencies in the power spectrum of the measured cosmic microwave background temperature anisotropies. However,…
A synthesis of previous work done on the microscopic structure of cosmic strings in realistic models is made and reveals that strings are expected to be not only superconducting in the sense of Witten, but also generically current-carrying,…
We have investigated the evolution of the neutrino asymmetry in active-sterile neutrino oscillations in the early universe. We find that there are large regions of parameter space where the asymmetry is extremely sensitive to variations in…
The (abelian bosonic) heterotic string effective action, equations of motion and Bianchi identity at order alpha prime in ten dimensions, are shown to be equivalent to a higher dimensional action, its derived equations of motion and Bianchi…
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…
We investigate the cosmological consequences of particle physics theories that admit stable loops of superconducting cosmic string - {\it vortons}. General symmetry breaking schemes are considered, in which strings are formed at one energy…
We show that adiabatic, super-Hubble, and almost scale invariant density fluctuations are produced by cosmic strings in a contracting universe. An essential point is that isocurvature perturbations produced by topological defects such as…
We point out that the spectrum and interactions of light states of the heterotic string indicate a string scale close to the GUT scale, and a mass generating scale for the gravitationally interacting states around 10^9 GeV if these states…
In this paper, we present a systematic analysis of eleven-dimensional supergravity on a manifold with boundary, which is believed to be relevant to the strong coupling limit of the $E_8\times E_8$ heterotic string. Gauge and gravitational…
It has been pointed out that cosmic string solutions can exist in gauge field theories with broken symmetry even when $\pi _1(G/H)$ is trivial. The stability of such semilocal defects is not guaranteed by topology and depends on dynamical…
We study the connection between $N=2$ supersymmetry and a topological bound in a two-Higgs-doublet system with an $SU(2)\times U(1)_Y\times U(1)_{Y^{\prime}}$ gauge group. We derive the Bogomol'nyi equations from supersymmetry…