Analytic Approaches to the Study of Small Scale Structure on Cosmic String Networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces an analytic model for small scale structures on cosmic string networks, addressing key phenomena like gravitational radiation, loop formation, and gravitational lensing, with comparisons to recent simulations.

Contribution

The paper develops a new analytic framework derived from microscopic string equations to study small scale features on cosmic strings, improving understanding of their observational signatures.

Findings

Model predicts smoothing effects due to gravitational radiation

Analysis of small loop populations and their gravitational wave signals

Comparison shows good agreement with recent numerical simulations

Abstract

We present an analytic model specifically designed to address the long standing issue of small scale structure on cosmic string networks. The model is derived from the microscopic string equations, together with a few motivated assumptions. The resulting form of the correlation between two points on a string is exploited to study smoothing by gravitational radiation, loop formation and lensing by cosmic strings. In addition, the properties of the small loop population and the possibility of detecting gravitational waves generated by their lowest harmonics are investigated. Whenever possible, we compare the predictions of the model to the most recent numerical simulations of cosmic string networks.