Dynamics of cosmic string

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Abstract
We consider various aspects of the dynamics of cosmic string, many of which are special to four spacetime dimensions. When a loop fragments we show how the properties of the original loop, and those of the daughter loops, are related. We discuss the construction of solutions for a string loop of various types, emphasizing the properties of loops with kinks. Since the number of cusps does not increase during fragmentation, most loops may not have cusps. We provide a geometrical argument that cusps are not smoothed by the self-gravity of the string. An estimate of the gravitational back reaction near a cusp is compatible with this result. We discover a relation between self-intersections of a loop and cusps, and discuss various ways in which a loop is expected to evolve as it loses mass to radiation. The cusps which occur at kinks may be detectable if the string is superconducting.

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