The form of cosmic string cusps

We classify the possible shapes of cosmic string cusps and how they transform under Lorentz boosts. A generic cusp can be brought into a form in which the motion of the cusp tip lies in the plane of the cusp. The cusp whose motion is perpendicular to this plane, considered by some authors, is a special case and not the generic situation. We redo the calculation of the energy in the region where the string overlaps itself near a cusp, which is the maximum energy that can be released in radiation. We take into account the motion of a generic cusp and the resulting Lorentz contraction of the string core. The result is that the energy scales as $\sqrt {rL}$ instead of the usual value of $r^{1/3} L^{2/3}$, where $r$ is the string radius and $L$ and is the typical length scale of the string. Since $r << L$ for cosmological strings, the radiation is strongly suppressed and could not be observed.Comment: 15 pages, ReVTex, 2 postscript figures with eps

Field theory simulation of Abelian-Higgs cosmic string cusps

We have performed a lattice field theory simulation of cusps in Abelian-Higgs cosmic strings. The results are in accord with the theory that the portion of the strings which overlaps near the cusp is released as radiation. The radius of the string cores which must touch to produce the evaporation is approximately $r = 1$ in natural units. In general, the modifications to the string shape due to the cusp may produce many cusps later in the evolution of a string loop, but these later cusps will be much smaller in magnitude and more closely resemble kinks.Comment: 9 pages, RevTeX, 13 figures with eps

Evolution of Primordial Black Hole Mass Spectrum in Brans-Dicke Theory

We investigate the evolution of primordial black hole mass spectrum by including both accretion of radiation and Hawking evaporation within Brans-Dicke cosmology in radiation, matter and vacuum-dominated eras. We also consider the effect of evaporation of primordial black holes on the expansion dynamics of the universe. The analytic solutions describing the energy density of the black holes in equilibrium with radiation are presented. We demonstrate that these solutions act as attractors for the system ensuring stability for both linear and nonlinear situations. We show, however, that inclusion of accretion of radiation delays the onset of this equilibrium in all radiation, matter and vacuum-dominated eras.Comment: 18 pages, one figur

Supersymmetry and primordial black hole abundance constraints

We study the consequences of supersymmetry for primordial black hole (PBH) abundance constraints. PBHs with mass less than about 10^{11}g will emit supersymmetric particles when they evaporate. In most models of supersymmetry the lightest of these particles, the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP), is stable and will hence survive to the present day. We calculate the limit on the initial abundance of PBHs from the requirement that the present day LSP density is less than the critical density. We apply this limit, along with those previously obtained from the effects of PBH evaporation on nucleosynthesis and the present day density of PBHs, to PBHs formed from the collpase of inflationary density perturbations, in the context of supersymmetric inflation models. If the reheat temperature after inflation is low, so as to avoid the overproduction of gravitinos and moduli, then the lightest PBHs which are produced in significant numbers will be evaporating around the present day and there are therefore no constraints from the effects of the evaporation products on nucleosynthesis or from the production of LSPs. We then examine models with a high reheat temperature and a subsequent period of thermal inflation. In these models avoiding the overproduction of LSPs limits the abundance of low mass PBHs which were previously unconstrained. Throughout we incorporate the production, at fixed time, of PBHs with a range of masses, which occurs when critical collapse is taken into account.Comment: 8 pages RevTeX file with 3 figures incorporated (uses RevTeX and epsf). Version to appear in Phys. Rev. D: minor change to calculation and added discussio

Black Hole Constraints on Varying Fundamental Constants

Here we apply the Generalized Second Law of Thermodynamics and derive upper limits on the variation in the fundamental constants. The maximum variation in the electronic charge permitted for black holes accreting and emitting in the present cosmic microwave background corresponds to a variation in the fine structure constant of ((Delta alpha) / alpha) ~ 2 x 10^-23 per second. This value matches the variation measured by Webb et al. using absorption lines in the spectra of distant quasars and suggests the variation mechanism may be a coupling between the electron and the cosmic photon background.Comment: 5 pages, published versio

Relativistic Viscous Fluid Description of Microscopic Black Hole Wind

Microscopic black holes explode with their temperature varying inversely as their mass. Such explosions would lead to the highest temperatures in the present universe, all the way to the Planck energy. Whether or not a quasi-stationary shell of matter undergoing radial hydrodynamic expansion surrounds such black holes is been controversial. In this paper relativistic viscous fluid equations are applied to the problem. It is shown that a self-consistent picture emerges of a fluid just marginally kept in local thermal equilibrium; viscosity is a crucial element of the dynamics.Comment: 11 pages, revte