Small Scale Behavior of Cosmic String Networks

TL;DR

This paper presents an analytic scaling model for cosmic string networks that, combined with recent simulations, helps clarify the formation scale of cosmic string loops, a longstanding uncertainty in the field.

Contribution

The paper introduces a new analytic scaling model for cosmic string networks that, alongside recent simulations, addresses the longstanding uncertainty about loop formation scales.

Findings

The model aligns well with recent simulation data.

It narrows down the loop formation scale by several orders of magnitude.

The approach improves understanding of cosmic string network evolution.

Abstract

The evolution of cosmic string networks is an interesting dynamical problem. The equations governing these networks are classical and fully specified, but the length scale at which cosmic string loops form has been uncertain to tens of orders of magnitude. Numerical simulations are limited in the range of length and time scales they can reach, while analytic methods have been limited by the nonlinearities of the problem. We describe a recent analytic scaling model developed in collaboration with Jorge Rocha and Florian Dubath which, together with recent simulations, appears to resolve this question.