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Gravitational Smoothing of Kinks on Cosmic String Loops

Jeremy M Wachter¹, Ken D Olum¹

¹Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute of Cosmology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA.

Physical Review Letters

|February 18, 2017

Summary

Gravitational backreaction affects cosmic string loops with kinks, potentially altering their shape and observability. Kinks may straighten, leading to cusps, or remain unchanged in self-similar evaporation due to symmetries.

Area of Science:

Cosmology
Theoretical Physics

Background:

Cosmic strings are hypothetical topological defects.
String loop evolution influences their detectability.
Gravitational backreaction is a key factor in string dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the impact of gravitational backreaction on cosmic string loops containing kinks.
To understand how kinks affect loop shape and potential observability.
To investigate the development of cusps and self-similar evaporation.

Main Methods:

Theoretical analysis of gravitational backreaction effects.
Examination of kink behavior in cosmic string loops.
Case study of the rectangular Garfinkle-Vachaspati loop.

Main Results:

Kinks in cosmic string loops do not necessarily round off.
Gravitational backreaction can cause kinks to straighten, leading to cusp formation.
Symmetries can prevent cusp formation, resulting in self-similar evaporation with unchanged kinks.

Conclusions:

Gravitational backreaction plays a crucial role in determining the evolution and observability of cosmic string loops.
The presence and behavior of kinks significantly influence loop dynamics.
Understanding these effects is vital for searching for evidence of cosmic strings.

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