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Published on: November 15, 2013
Universal reconnection of non-Abelian cosmic strings
Minoru Eto1, Koji Hashimoto, Giacomo Marmorini
1Institute of Physics, University of Tokyo, Komaba 3-8-1, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan.
Physical Review Letters
|March 16, 2007
Summary
In gauge theories, critical coupling strings always reconnect during collisions. This classical reconnection is demonstrated through vortex moduli space analysis and right-angle scattering.
Area of Science:
- High-energy physics
- Theoretical physics
- Quantum field theory
Background:
- Gauge theories describe fundamental forces using symmetry principles.
- Strings in gauge theories represent topological defects or flux tubes.
- Understanding string interactions is crucial for quantum field theory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the classical collision dynamics of strings in Abelian and non-Abelian gauge theories.
- To determine if strings reconnect under critical coupling conditions.
- To analyze the role of moduli space in string interactions.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing the moduli space approximation to model string collisions.
- Employing the moduli matrix formalism to define vortex moduli parameters.
- Analyzing geodesic motion within the identified moduli space.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that local and semilocal strings always reconnect classically during collisions at critical couplings.
- Explicitly identified a well-defined set of vortex moduli parameters using the moduli matrix formalism.
- Showed that generic geodesic motion leads to right-angle scattering in head-on vortex collisions.
Conclusions:
- Classical string reconnection is a robust phenomenon in gauge theories under critical coupling.
- The moduli space formalism provides a clear framework for understanding vortex interactions.
- Right-angle scattering in vortex collisions directly results in string reconnection.
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