Monopoles on strings

In cosmological scenarios based on grand unification, string theory or braneworlds, many kinds of topological or non-topological defects, including monopoles and cosmic strings, are predicted to be formed in the early universe. Here we review specifically the physics of composite objects involving monopoles tied to strings. There is a wide variety of these, including for example dumbbells and necklaces, depending on how many strings attach to each monopole and on the extent to which the various fluxes are confined to the strings. We also briefly survey the prospects for observing such structures, the existing observational limits, and potential evidence for a cosmological role.

Cosmological magnetic field correlators from blazar induced cascade

TeV blazars offer an exciting prospect for discovering cosmological magnetic fields and for probing high energy processes, including CP violation, in the early universe. We propose a method for reconstructing both the non-helical and the helical magnetic field correlators using observations of cascade photons from TeV blazars.

CMB Distortions from Damping of Acoustic Waves Produced by Cosmic Strings

We study diffusion damping of acoustic waves in the photon-baryon fluid due to cosmic strings, and calculate the induced $mu$- and $y$-type spectral distortions of the cosmic microwave background. For cosmic strings with tension within current bounds, their contribution to the spectral distortions is subdominant compared to the distortions from primordial density perturbations.

Primordial Magnetism in CMB B-modes

Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarization B-modes induced by Faraday Rotation (FR) can provide a distinctive signature of primordial magnetic fields because of their characteristic frequency dependence and because they are only weakly damped on small scales. FR also leads to mode-coupling correlations between the E and B type polarization, and between the temperature and the B-mode. These additional correlations can further help distinguish magnetic fields from other sources of B-modes. We review the FR induced CMB signatures and present the constraints on primordial magnetism that can be expected from upcoming CMB experiments. Our results suggest that FR of CMB will be a promising probe of primordial magnetic fields.

Creating kinks from particles

We study the creation of solitons from particles, using the $lambda phi^4$ model as a prototype. We consider the scattering of small, identical, wave pulses, that are equivalent to a sequence of particles, and find that kink-antikink pairs are created for a large region in parameter space. We also find that scattering at {it low} velocities is favorable for creating solitons that have large energy compared to the mass of a particle.

Formation of Non-Abelian Monopoles Connected by Strings

We study the formation of monopoles and strings in a model where SU(3) is spontaneously broken to U(2)=[SU(2)times U(1)]/ZZ_2, and then to U(1). The first symmetry breaking generates monopoles with both SU(2) and U(1) charges since the vacuum manifold is CC P^2. To study the formation of these monopoles, we explicitly describe an algorithm to detect topologically non-trivial mappings on CC P^2. The second symmetry breaking creates ZZ_2 strings linking either monopole-monopole pairs or monopole-antimonopole pairs. When the strings pull the monopoles together they may create stable monopoles of charge 2 or else annihilate. We determine the length distribution of strings and the fraction of monopoles that will survive after the second symmetry breaking. Possible implications for topological defects produced from the spontaneous breaking of even larger symmetry groups, as in Grand Unified models, are discussed.