Topological picture of cosmic-string self-intersection
- 15 November 1988
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review D
- Vol. 38 (10) , 2958-2962
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.38.2958
Abstract
We translate the problem of finding the self-intersections of an evolving loop of cosmic string into a topological problem. We use this picture to discuss the relationship between cusps and self-intersections and give a lower bound on the total number of self-intersections any particular loop can have. This bound can be calculated by studying only the kinks and cusps present on the loop. We discuss the ways in which the number of cusps and self-intersections can change under smooth deformations of the initial conditions.Keywords
This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit:
- Interaction of U(1) cosmic strings: Numerical intercommutationComputers in Physics, 1988
- Dynamics of cosmic stringPhysical Review D, 1988
- Cosmic string interactionsNuclear Physics B, 1987
- Cosmological effects of superconducting stringsPhysics Letters B, 1986
- The stability of cosmic string loopsPhysics Letters B, 1986
- Fluctuations from cosmic strings and the microwave backgroundPhysical Review D, 1986
- Self-intersection of cosmic stringsPhysics Letters B, 1982
- Cosmological fluctuations produced near a singularityMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1980