SEARCHING FOR COSMIC STRINGS IN THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND: AN AMIBA EXAMPLE

Abstract

The role of cosmic defects in cosmology is entering its new phase—as a test for several fundamental physics, including unification theories and inflation. We discuss how to use the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) to detect cosmic strings, a type of cosmic defects, and how to use this result to constrain the underlying physics. In particular, we use the simulations for the Array for Microwave Background Anisotropy (AMiBA) to demonstrate the power of this approach. The required resolution and sensitivity in such a method are discussed, and so is the possible scientific impact.