Search for Cosmic Strings in the COSMOS Survey

TL;DR

This study searches the COSMOS survey data for gravitational lensing signatures indicative of cosmic strings, setting upper limits on their abundance and properties based on the absence of detected signals.

Contribution

First to analyze the COSMOS survey for cosmic string lensing signatures, establishing new upper limits on cosmic string density and mass per unit length.

Findings

No evidence for cosmic strings with G mu/c^2 < 3.0E-7

Set 95% upper limit on Omega_string<0.0028

Developed technique to estimate detection efficiency

Abstract

We search the COSMOS survey for pairs of galaxies consistent with the gravitational lensing signature of a cosmic string. The COSMOS survey imaged 1.64 square degrees using the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Our technique includes estimates of the efficiency for finding the lensed galaxy pair. We find no evidence for cosmic strings with a mass per unit length of G mu/c^2 < 3.0E-7 out to redshifts greater than 0.6 and set 95% upper limits. This corresponds to a global 95% upper limit of Omega_string<0.0028.