Cosmic string parameter constraints and model analysis using small scale Cosmic Microwave Background data

We present a significant update of the constraints on the Abelian Higgs cosmic string tension by cosmic microwave background (CMB) data, enabled both by the use of new high-resolution CMB data from suborbital experiments as well as the latest results of the WMAP satellite, and by improved predictions for the impact of Abelian Higgs cosmic strings on the CMB power spectra. The new cosmic string spectra (presented in a previous work) were improved especially for small angular scales, through the use of larger Abelian Higgs string simulations and careful extrapolation. If Abelian Higgs strings are present then we find improved bounds on their contribution to the CMB anisotropies, f10< 0.095, and on their tension, G\mu< 0.57 x 10^-6, both at 95% confidence level using WMAP7 data; and f10 < 0.048 and G\mu < 0.42 x 10^-6 using all the CMB data. We also find that using all the CMB data, a scale invariant initial perturbation spectrum, ns=1, is now disfavoured at 2.4\sigma\ even if strings are present. A Bayesian model selection analysis no longer indicates a preference for strings.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures; Minor corrections, matches published versio

Bifurcations and Chaos in the Six-Dimensional Turbulence Model of Gledzer

The cascade-shell model of turbulence with six real variables originated by Gledzer is studied numerically using Mathematica 5.1. Periodic, doubly-periodic and chaotic solutions and the routes to chaos via both frequency-locking and period-doubling are found by the Poincar\'e plot of the first mode $v_1$. The circle map on the torus is well approximated by the summation of several sinusoidal functions. The dependence of the rotation number on the viscosity parameter is in accordance with that of the sine-circle map. The complicated bifurcation structure and the revival of a stable periodic solution at the smaller viscosity parameter in the present model indicates that the turbulent state may be very sensitive to the Reynolds number.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures submitted to JPS

The effects of inhomogeneities on the cosmology of type IIB conifold transitions

In this paper we examine the evolution of the effective field theory describing a conifold transition in type IIB string theory. Previous studies have considered such dynamics starting from the cosmological approximation of homogeneous fields, here we include the effects of inhomogeneities by using a real-time lattice field theory simulation. By including spatial variations we are able to simulate the effect of currents and the gauge fields which they source. We identify two different regimes where the inhomogeneities have opposite effects, one where they aid the system to complete the conifold transition and another where they hinder it. The existence of quantized fluxes in related systems has lead to the speculation that (unstable) string solutions could exist, using our simulations we give strong evidence that these string-like defects do not form.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures. Published versio

Shape of the acoustic gravitational wave power spectrum from a first order phase transition

We present results from large-scale numerical simulations of a first order thermal phase transition in the early Universe, in order to explore the shape of the acoustic gravitational wave and the velocity power spectra. We compare the results with the predictions of the recently proposed sound shell model. For the gravitational wave power spectrum, we find that the predicted k(-3) behavior, where k is the wave number, emerges clearly for detonations. The power spectra from deflagrations show similar features, but exhibit a steeper high-k decay and an extra feature not accounted for in the model. There are two independent length scales: the mean bubble separation and the thickness of the sound shell around the expanding bubble of the low temperature phase. It is the sound shell thickness which sets the position of the peak of the power spectrum. The low wave number behavior of the velocity power spectrum is consistent with a causal k(3), except for the thinnest sound shell, where it is steeper. We present parameters for a simple broken power law fit to the gravitational wave power spectrum for wall speeds well away from the speed of sound where this form can be usefully applied. We examine the prospects for the detection, showing that a LISA-like mission has the sensitivity to detect a gravitational wave signal from sound waves with an RMS fluid velocity of about 0.05c, produced from bubbles with a mean separation of about 10(-2) of the Hubble radius. The shape of the gravitational wave power spectrum depends on the bubble wall speed, and it may be possible to estimate the wall speed, and constrain other phase transition parameters, with an accurate measurement of a stochastic gravitational wave background.Peer reviewe

The evolution of a network of cosmic string loops

We set up and analyse a model for the non-equilibrium evolution of a network of cosmic strings initially containing only loops and no infinite strings. Due to this particular initial condition, our analytical approach differs significantly from existing ones. We describe the average properties of the network in terms of the distribution function n(l,t) dl, the average number of loops per unit volume with physical length between l and l + dl at time t. The dynamical processes which change the length of loops are then estimated and an equation, which we call the `rate equation', is derived for (dn/dt). In a non-expanding universe, the loops should reach the equilibrium distribution predicted by string statistical mechanics. Analysis of the rate equation gives results consistent with this. We then study the rate equation in an expanding universe and suggest that three different final states are possible for the evolving loop network, each of which may well be realised for some initial conditions. If the initial energy density in loops in the radiation era is low, then the loops rapidly disappear. For large initial energy densities, we expect that either infinite strings are formed or that the loops tend towards a scaling solution in the radiation era and then rapidly disappear in the matter era. Such a scenario may be relevant given recent work highlighting the problems with structure formation from the standard cosmic string scenario.Comment: LaTeX, 27 pages, 10 figures included as .eps file

The power spectra of CMB and density fluctuations seeded by local cosmic strings

We compute the power spectra in the cosmic microwave background and cold dark matter (CDM) fluctuations seeded by strings, using the largest string simulations performed so far to evaluate the two-point functions of their stress energy tensor. We find that local strings differ from global defects in that the scalar components of the stress-energy tensor dominate over vector and tensor components. This result has far reaching consequences. We find that cosmic strings exhibit a single Doppler peak of acceptable height at high $\ell$. They also seem to have a less severe bias problem than global defects, although the CDM power spectrum in the ``standard'' cosmology (flat geometry, zero cosmological constant, 5% baryonic component) is the wrong shape to fit large scale structure data

Renormalization group scale-setting from the action - a road to modified gravity theories

The renormalization group (RG) corrected gravitational action in Einstein-Hilbert and other truncations is considered. The running scale of the renormalization group is treated as a scalar field at the level of the action and determined in a scale-setting procedure recently introduced by Koch and Ramirez for the Einstein-Hilbert truncation. The scale-setting procedure is elaborated for other truncations of the gravitational action and applied to several phenomenologically interesting cases. It is shown how the logarithmic dependence of the Newton's coupling on the RG scale leads to exponentially suppressed effective cosmological constant and how the scale-setting in particular RG corrected gravitational theories yields the effective $f(R)$ modified gravity theories with negative powers of the Ricci scalar $R$. The scale-setting at the level of the action at the non-gaussian fixed point in Einstein-Hilbert and more general truncations is shown to lead to universal effective action quadratic in Ricci tensor.Comment: v1: 15 pages; v2: shortened to 10 pages, main results unchanged, published in Class. Quant. Gra

Cosmic Necklaces and Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays

Cosmic necklaces are hybrid topological defects consisting of monopoles and strings, with two strings attached to each monopole. We argue that the cosmological evolution of necklaces may significantly differ from that of cosmic strings. The typical velocity of necklaces can be much smaller than the speed of light, and the characteristic scale of the network much smaller than the horizon. We estimate the flux of high-energy protons produced by monopole annihilation in the decaying closed loops. For some reasonable values of the parameters it is comparable to the observed flux of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays.Comment: 10 pages, Revtex, 1 figur

Observing Long Cosmic Strings Through Gravitational Lensing

We consider the gravitational lensing produced by long cosmic strings formed in a GUT scale phase transition. We derive a formula for the deflection of photons which pass near the strings that reduces to an integral over the light cone projection of the string configuration plus constant terms which are not important for lensing. Our strings are produced by performing numerical simulations of cosmic string networks in flat, Minkowski space ignoring the effects of cosmological expansion. These strings have more small scale structure than those from an expanding universe simulation - fractal dimension 1.3 for Minkowski versus 1.1 for expanding - but share the same qualitative features. Lensing simulations show that for both point-like and extended objects, strings produce patterns unlike more traditional lenses, and, in particluar, the kinks in strings tend to generate demagnified images which reside close to the string. Thus lensing acts as a probe of the small scale structure of a string. Estimates of lensing probablity suggest that for string energy densities consistant with string seeded structure formation, on the order of tens of string lenses should be observed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasar catalog. We propose a search strategy in which string lenses would be identified in the SDSS quasar survey, and the string nature of the lens can be confirmed by the observation of nearby high redshift galaxies which are also be lensed by the string.Comment: 24 pages revtex with 12 postscript firgure

Reconstructing 3D x-ray CT images of polymer gel dosimeters using the zero-scan method

In this study x-ray CT has been used to produce a 3D image of an irradiated PAGAT gel sample, with noise-reduction achieved using the ‘zero-scan’ method. The gel was repeatedly CT scanned and a linear fit to the varying Hounsfield unit of each pixel in the 3D volume was evaluated across the repeated scans, allowing a zero-scan extrapolation of the image to be obtained. To minimise heating of the CT scanner’s x-ray tube, this study used a large slice thickness (1 cm), to provide image slices across the irradiated region of the gel, and a relatively small number of CT scans (63), to extrapolate the zero-scan image. The resulting set of transverse images shows reduced noise compared to images from the initial CT scan of the gel, without being degraded by the additional radiation dose delivered to the gel during the repeated scanning. The full, 3D image of the gel has a low spatial resolution in the longitudinal direction, due to the selected scan parameters. Nonetheless, important features of the dose distribution are apparent in the 3D x-ray CT scan of the gel. The results of this study demonstrate that the zero-scan extrapolation method can be applied to the reconstruction of multiple x-ray CT slices, to provide useful 2D and 3D images of irradiated dosimetry gels