Cosmic Superstrings: Dynamics and Cusps

TL;DR

This paper investigates the dynamics of Cosmic Superstrings, showing that strings with junctions can develop cusps, which are significant as potential observable sources of radiation linked to string theory.

Contribution

It demonstrates that Cosmic Superstrings with junctions can generically form cusps, providing a new understanding of their boundary conditions and observational signatures.

Findings

Strings with junctions can have cusps when junctions are close.

Cusps are strong emitters of gravitational and particle radiation.

Detection of such cusps could provide evidence for String theory.

Abstract

Whilst standard field theoretic Cosmic Strings cannot end, Cosmic Superstrings can form three string junctions, at which each string ends. This opens up a new class of possible boundary conditions for such strings and we show that, at least when the junctions are close together, a string ending of two such junctions will generically have cusps. Cusps are of particular interest as they are strong emitters of radiation (both gravitational and particle) and hence are possible observables. The detection of cusps from Cosmic Superstrings between junctions would be a rare observational window into the realm of String theory and Brane inflation models.