Cosmic string formation by flux trapping

Abstract

We study the formation of cosmic strings by confining a stochastic magnetic field into flux tubes in a numerical simulation. We use overdamped evolution in a potential that is minimized when the flux through each face in the simulation lattice is a multiple of the fundamental flux quantum. When the typical number of flux quanta through a correlation-length-sized region is initially about 1, we find a string network similar to that generated by the Kibble-Zurek mechanism. With larger initial flux, the loop distribution and the Brownian shape of the infinite strings remain unchanged, but the fraction of length in infinite strings is increased. A 2D slice of the network exhibits bundles of strings pointing in the same direction, as in earlier 2D simulations. We find, however, that strings belonging to the same bundle do not stay together in 3D for much longer than the correlation length. As the initial flux per correlation length is decreased, there is a point at which infinite strings disappear, as in the Hagedorn transition.

16 pages and 9 figures. (Minor changes and new references added)

References in corpus (12)

• Brane Inflation
• Cosmic String Production Towards the End of Brane Inflation
• Cosmic F- and D-strings
• Formation and evolution of cosmic D-strings
• Defect formation and local gauge invariance
• Solitonic D-branes and brane annihilation
• Field theory simulation of Abelian-Higgs cosmic string cusps
• Critical dynamics of gauge systems: Spontaneous vortex formation in 2D superconductors
• Spontaneous vortex formation on a superconductor film
• Heavy cosmic strings
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• Estimation of vortex density after superconducting film quench

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Bubble nucleation and growth in very strong cosmological phase transitions
• Cosmic Strings from Supersymmetric Flat Directions
• Bubble nucleation and growth in slow cosmological phase transitions
• Holographic topological defects and local gauge symmetry: clusters of strongly coupled equal-sign vortices
• Super-horizon cosmic string correlations