scholarly journals Stochastic gravitational-wave background from metastable cosmic strings

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (12) ◽  
pp. 006
Author(s):  
Wilfried Buchmüller ◽  
Valerie Domcke ◽  
Kai Schmitz

Abstract A metastable cosmic-string network is a generic consequence of many grand unified theories (GUTs) when combined with cosmic inflation. Metastable cosmic strings are not topologically stable, but decay on cosmic time scales due to pair production of GUT monopoles. This leads to a network consisting of metastable long strings on superhorizon scales as well as of string loops and segments on subhorizon scales. We compute for the first time the complete stochastic gravitational-wave background (SGWB) arising from all these network constituents, including several technical improvements to both the derivation of the loop and segment contributions. We find that the gravitational waves emitted by string loops provide the main contribution to the gravitational-wave spectrum in the relevant parameter space. The resulting spectrum is consistent with the tentative signal observed by the NANOGrav and Parkes pulsar timing collaborations for a string tension of G μ ∼ 10-11…-7 and has ample discovery space for ground- and space-based detectors. For GUT-scale string tensions, G μ ∼ 10-8…-7, metastable strings predict a SGWB in the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA band that could be discovered in the near future.

2020 ◽  
Vol 501 (1) ◽  
pp. 701-712
Author(s):  
N Yonemaru ◽  
S Kuroyanagi ◽  
G Hobbs ◽  
K Takahashi ◽  
X-J Zhu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Cosmic strings are potential gravitational-wave (GW) sources that can be probed by pulsar timing arrays (PTAs). In this work we develop a detection algorithm for a GW burst from a cusp on a cosmic string, and apply it to Parkes PTA data. We find four events with a false alarm probability less than 1 per cent. However further investigation shows that all of these are likely to be spurious. As there are no convincing detections we place upper limits on the GW amplitude for different event durations. From these bounds we place limits on the cosmic string tension of Gμ ∼ 10−5, and highlight that this bound is independent from those obtained using other techniques. We discuss the physical implications of our results and the prospect of probing cosmic strings in the era of Square Kilometre Array.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joydeep Chakrabortty ◽  
George Lazarides ◽  
Rinku Maji ◽  
Qaisar Shafi

Abstract We consider magnetic monopoles and strings that appear in non-supersymmetric SO(10) and E6 grand unified models paying attention to gauge coupling unification and proton decay in a variety of symmetry breaking schemes. The dimensionless string tension parameter Gμ spans the range 10−6− 10−30, where G is Newton’s constant and μ is the string tension. We show how intermediate scale monopoles with mass ∼ 1013− 1014 GeV and flux ≲ 2.8 × 10−16 cm−2s−1sr−1, and cosmic strings with Gμ ∼ 10−11− 10−10 survive inflation and are present in the universe at an observable level. We estimate the gravity wave spectrum emitted from cosmic strings taking into account inflation driven by a Coleman-Weinberg potential. The tensor-to-scalar ratio r lies between 0.06 and 0.003 depending on the details of the inflationary scenario.


2012 ◽  
Vol 425 (2) ◽  
pp. 1597-1597 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. van Haasteren ◽  
Y. Levin ◽  
G. H. Janssen ◽  
K. Lazaridis ◽  
M. Kramer ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (01) ◽  
pp. 1341008 ◽  
Author(s):  
BHAL CHANDRA JOSHI

In the last decade, the use of an ensemble of radio pulsars to constrain the characteristic strain caused by a stochastic gravitational wave background has advanced the cause of detection of very low frequency gravitational waves (GWs) significantly. This electromagnetic means of GW detection, called Pulsar Timing Array (PTA), is reviewed in this paper. The principle of operation of PTA, the current operating PTAs and their status are presented along with a discussion of the main challenges in the detection of GWs using PTA.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 707-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Hobbs ◽  
Shi Dai

Abstract A pulsar timing array (PTA) refers to a program of regular, high-precision timing observations of a widely distributed array of millisecond pulsars. Here we review the status of the three primary PTA projects and the joint International Pulsar Timing Array project. We discuss current results related to ultra-low-frequency gravitational wave searches and highlight opportunities for the near future.


2011 ◽  
Vol 414 (2) ◽  
pp. 1777-1787 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. R. B. Yardley ◽  
W. A. Coles ◽  
G. B. Hobbs ◽  
J. P. W. Verbiest ◽  
R. N. Manchester ◽  
...  

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