Self-intersections in a three-parameter space of cosmic strings

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Abstract
We present a three-parameter space of cosmic strings with first and third harmonics which includes the one-parameter Kibble-Turok and the two-parameter Turok spaces as subsets. A numerical examination shows that, while the area of parameter space representing self-intersections of the Turok string is smaller than previously thought, the percentage of self-intersecting strings increases with the larger parameter space. There exists, however, a sufficient fraction of non-self-intersecting strings in the three-parameter space so as to remain compatible with galaxy formation theories.