Supersymmetric k-defects

TL;DR

This paper explores how nontrivial kinetic interactions in supersymmetric theories affect the relationship between supersymmetry and superconducting properties of topological defects like cosmic strings, revealing that such interactions can disrupt superconductivity.

Contribution

It demonstrates that additional kinetic interactions in supersymmetric models can alter the expected superconducting behavior of cosmic strings, challenging previous assumptions.

Findings

Superconductivity in supersymmetric strings can be disrupted by kinetic interactions.

Nontrivial kinetic terms influence the relationship between supersymmetry and supercurrents.

Some models show that supersymmetry restoration does not guarantee superconductivity.

Abstract

In supersymmetric theories, topological defects can have nontrivial behaviors determined purely by whether or not supersymmetry is restored in the defect core. A well-known example of this is that some supersymmetric cosmic strings are automatically superconducting, leading to important cosmological effects and constraints. We investigate the impact of nontrivial kinetic interactions, present in a number of particle physics models of interest in cosmology, on the relationship between supersymmetry and supercurrents on strings. We find that in some cases it is possible for superconductivity to be disrupted by the extra interactions.