Cosmological Defects Research Articles

E- and T-model hybrid inflation

We consider the impact of a kinetic pole of order one or two on the non-supersymmetric model of hybrid inflation. These poles arise due to logarithmic Kähler potentials which control the kinetic mixing of the inflaton field and parameterize hyperbolic manifolds with scalar curvature related to the coefficient (-N)<0 of the logarithm. Inflation is associated with the breaking of a local SU(2)times U(1) symmetry, which does not produce any cosmological defects after it, and remains largely immune from the minimal possible radiative corrections to the inflationary potential. For N=1 and equal values of the relevant coupling constants, lambda and kappa , the achievement of the observationally central value for the scalar spectral index, n_{textrm{s}}, requires the mass parameter, m, and the symmetry breaking scale, M, to be of the order of 10^{12}~{textrm{GeV}} and 10^{17}~{textrm{GeV}} respectively. Increasing N above unity the tensor-to-scalar ratio r increases above 0.002 and reaches its maximal allowed value for Nsimeq 10{-}20.

Topological steering of light by nematic vortices and analogy to cosmic strings.

Liquid crystals are widely known for their technological uses in displays, electro-optics, photonics and nonlinear optics, but these applications typically rely on defining and switching non-topological spatial patterns of the optical axis. Here, we demonstrate how a liquid crystal's optical axis patterns with singular vortex lines can robustly steer beams of light. External stimuli, including an electric field and light itself, allow us to reconfigure these unusual light-matter interactions. Periodic arrays of vortices obtained by photo-patterning enable the vortex-mediated fission of optical solitons, yielding their lightning-like propagation patterns. Predesigned patterns and spatial trajectories of vortex lines in high-birefringence liquid crystals can steer light into closed loops or even knots. Our vortex lattices might find technological uses in beam steering, telecommunications, virtual reality implementations and anticounterfeiting, as well as possibly offering a model system for probing the interaction of light with defects, including the theoretically predicted, imagination-capturing light-steering action of cosmic strings, elusive defects in cosmology.

Bound vortex light in an emulated topological defect in photonic lattices

Topology have prevailed in a variety of branches of physics. And topological defects in cosmology are speculated akin to dislocation or disclination in solids or liquid crystals. With the development of classical and quantum simulation, such speculative topological defects are well-emulated in a variety of condensed matter systems. Especially, the underlying theoretical foundations can be extensively applied to realize novel optical applications. Here, with the aid of transformation optics, we experimentally demonstrated bound vortex light on optical chips by simulating gauge fields of topological linear defects in cosmology through position-dependent coupling coefficients in a deformed photonic graphene. Furthermore, these types of photonic lattices inspired by topological linear defects can simultaneously generate and transport optical vortices, and even can control the orbital angular momentum of photons on integrated optical chips.

On the Dynamics of Phase Transitions in Relativistic Scalar Field Theory

We study the Kibble–Zurek scaling dynamics and universal second order phase transitions in a relativistic scalar field theory in 1 + 1 dimensions. Using tensor networks techniques as a non-perturbative non-equilibrium numerical tool for quantum field theory, we perform an analysis of the formation of topological defects in a non-equilibrium quantum system, as a realistic analogue toy model of the formation of cosmological defects in the large-scale structure of the Early Universe.

Three dimensional magnetic solutions in massive gravity with (non)linear field

The Noble Prize in physics 2016 motivates one to study different aspects of topological properties and topological defects as their related objects. Considering the significant role of the topological defects (especially magnetic strings) in cosmology, here, we will investigate three dimensional horizonless magnetic solutions in the presence of two generalizations: massive gravity and nonlinear electromagnetic field. The effects of these two generalizations on properties of the solutions and their geometrical structure are investigated. The differences between de Sitter and anti de Sitter solutions are highlighted and conditions regarding the existence of phase transition in geometrical structure of the solutions are studied.

Weak lensing from self-ordering scalar fields

Cosmological defects result from cosmological phase transitions in the early Universe and the dynamics reflects their symmetry-breaking mechanisms. These cosmological defects may be probed through weak lensing effects because they interact with ordinary matters only through the gravitational force. In this paper, we investigate global textures by using weak lensing curl and B modes. Non-topological textures are modeled by the non-linear sigma model (NLSM), and induce not only the scalar perturbation but also vector and tensor perturbations in the primordial plasma due to the nonlinearity in the anisotropic stress of scalar fields. We show angular power spectra of curl and B modes from both vector and tensor modes based on the NLSM. Furthermore, we give the analytic estimations for curl and B mode power spectra. The amplitude of weak lensing signals depends on a combined parameter $\epsilon^{2}_{v} = N^{-1}\left( v/m_{\rm pl} \right)^{4}$ where $N$ and $v$ are the number of the scalar fields and the vacuum expectation value, respectively. We discuss the detectability of the curl and B modes with several observation specifications. In the case of the CMB lensing observation without including the instrumental noise, we can reach $\epsilon_{v} \approx 2.7\times 10^{-6}$. This constraint is about 10 times stronger than the current one determined from the Planck. For the cosmic shear observation, we find that the signal-to-noise ratio depends on the mean redshift and the observing number of galaxies as $\propto z^{0.7}_{\rm m}$ and $\propto N^{0.2}_{\rm g}$, respectively. In the study of textures using cosmic shear observations, the mean redshift would be one of the key design parameters.

Is a Higgs vacuum instability fatal for high-scale inflation?

We study the inflationary evolution of a scalar field $h$ with an unstable potential for the case where the Hubble parameter $H$ during inflation is larger than the instability scale ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{I}$ of the potential. Quantum fluctuations in the field of size $\ensuremath{\delta}h\ensuremath{\sim}\frac{H}{2\ensuremath{\pi}}$ imply that the unstable part of the potential is sampled during inflation. We investigate the evolution of these fluctuations to the unstable regime and in particular whether they generate cosmological defects or even terminate inflation. We apply the results of a toy scalar model to the case of the Standard Model Higgs boson, the quartic of which evolves to negative values at high scales, and extend previous analyses of Higgs dynamics during inflation utilizing statistical methods to a perturbative and fully gauge-invariant formulation. We show that the dynamics are controlled by the renormalization group-improved quartic coupling $\ensuremath{\lambda}(\ensuremath{\mu})$ evaluated at a scale $\ensuremath{\mu}=H$, such that Higgs fluctuations are enhanced by the instability if $H&gt;{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{I}$. Even if $H&gt;{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{I}$, the instability in the Standard Model Higgs potential does not end inflation; instead the universe slowly sloughs off crunching patches of space that never come to dominate the evolution. As inflation proceeds past 50 $e$-folds, a significant proportion of patches exits inflation in the unstable vacuum, and as much as 1% of the spacetime can rapidly evolve to a defect. Depending on the nature of these defects, however, the resulting universe could still be compatible with ours.

Inflaton fluctuations in the presence of cosmological defects

We study quantum fluctuations of a free massless scalar field during inflation in the presence of a point, line, or plane defect such as a black hole, cosmic string, or domain wall, using a perturbative expansion in powers of small defect parameters. We provide results for the scalar two-point correlation functions that show explicitly a small violation of translational invariance during inflation.

Topological polymer dispersed liquid crystals with bulk nematic defect lines pinned to handlebody surfaces.

Polymer dispersed liquid crystals are a useful model system for studying the relationship between surface topology and defect structures. They are comprised of a polymer matrix with suspended spherical nematic drops and are topologically constrained to host defects of an elementary hedgehog charge per droplet, such as bulk or surface point defects or closed disclination loops. We control the genus of the closed surfaces confining such micrometer-sized nematic drops with tangential boundary conditions for molecular alignment imposed by the polymer matrix, allowing us to avoid defects or, on the contrary, to generate them in a controlled way. We show, both experimentally and through numerical modeling, that topological constraints in nematic microdrops can be satisfied by hosting topologically stable half-integer bulk defect lines anchored to opposite sides of handlebody surfaces. This enriches the interplay of topologies of closed surfaces and fields with nonpolar symmetry, yielding new unexpected configurations that cannot be realized in vector fields, having potential implications for topologically similar defects in cosmology and other fields.

FUNDAMENTAL PARTICLE STRUCTURE IN THE COSMOLOGICAL DARK MATTER

The nonbaryonic dark matter of the universe is assumed to consist of new stable forms of matter. Their stability reflects symmetry of micro-world and mechanisms of its symmetry breaking. Particle candidates for cosmological dark matter are lightest particles that bear new conserved quantum numbers. Dark matter particles may represent ideal gas of noninteracting particles. Self-interacting dark matter weakly or superweakly coupled to ordinary matter is also possible, reflecting nontrivial pattern of particle symmetry in the hidden sector of particle theory. In the early universe the structure of particle symmetry breaking gives rise to cosmological phase transitions, from which macroscopic cosmological defects or primordial nonlinear structures can be originated. Primordial black holes (PBHs) can be not only a candidate for dark matter, but also represent a universal probe for superhigh energy physics in the early universe. Evaporating PBHs turn to be a source of even superweakly interacting particles, while clouds of massive PBHs can serve as nonlinear seeds for galaxy formation. The observed broken symmetry of the three known families may provide a simultaneous solution for the problems of the mass of neutrino and strong CP-violation in the unique framework of models of horizontal unification. Dark matter candidates can also appear in the new families of quarks and leptons and the existence of new stable charged leptons and quarks is possible, hidden in elusive "dark atoms." Such possibility, strongly restricted by the constraints on anomalous isotopes of light elements, is not excluded in scenarios that predict stable double charged particles. The excessive -2 charged particles are bound in these scenarios with primordial helium in O-helium "atoms," maintaining specific nuclear-interacting form of the dark matter, which may provide an interesting solution for the puzzles of the direct dark matter searches. In the context of cosmoparticle physics, studying fundamental relationship of micro- and macro-worlds, the problem of cosmological dark matter implies cross disciplinary theoretical, experimental and observational studies for its solution.

Non-equilibrium temperature of well-developed quantum turbulence

A non-equilibrium effective temperature of quantum vortex tangles is defined as the average energy of closed vortex loops. The resulting thermodynamic expressions for the entropy and the energy in terms of the temperature of the tangle are confirmed by a microscopic analysis based on a potential distribution function for the length of vortex loops. Furthermore, these expressions for the entropy and energy in terms of temperature are analogous to those of black holes: this may be of interest for establishing further connections between topological defects in superfluids and cosmology.

COSMOLOGICAL DEFECT AND HIGH ENERGY EXPERIMENTS

The production and evolution of cosmological defects are investigated based on the standard particle physics theory such as the electroweak unified model and quantum chromodynamics. In these models, the string type solution can be obtained. Although electroweak strings and pion strings are embedded ones and topologically unstable, they would be stabilized by high temperature plasma and bring various cosmological consequences. Moreover, the production of pion strings may be observed in the LHC experiment.

Cosmological Defect Production and their Applications(Fundamental Problems and Applications of Quantum Field Theory-Topological Aspects of Quantum Field Theory-)

Cosmological Defect Production and their Applications(Fundamental Problems and Applications of Quantum Field Theory-Topological Aspects of Quantum Field Theory-)

Topological curvatons

Topological defects may play the role of the curvatons. I propose a new mechanism of generating density perturbations from cosmological defects in inflationary models. I show several examples in which defects play crucial role in generating density perturbations.

Formation of monopoles and domain walls after brane inflation

We study cosmological defect formation after brane inflation. The cosmological defects are corresponding to the branes that have less than three spacial dimensions in the uncompactified spacetime. Contrary to the previous arguments, production of monopoles and domain walls are not always negligible. Monopoles and domain walls are formed by the branes extended between mother branes.

Correlations around an interface

We compute one-loop correlation functions for the fluctuations of an interface using a ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}^{4}$ field theory model in $d=2$ and $d=3$ dimensions. We obtain them from Feynman diagrams drawn with a propagator that is the inverse of the Hamiltonian of a P\"oschl-Teller problem. We derive an expression for the propagator in terms of elementary functions, show that it corresponds to the usual spectral sum, and use it to calculate quantities such as the surface tension and interface profile in two and three spatial dimensions. The three-dimensional quantities are rederived in a simple, unified manner, whereas those in two dimensions extend the existing literature, and are applicable to thin films. In addition, we compute the one-loop self-energy, which may be extracted from experiment or from Monte Carlo simulations. Our results may be applied in various scenarios, which include fluctuations around topological defects in cosmology, supersymmetric domain walls, $Z(N)$ bubbles in QCD, domain walls in magnetic systems, interfaces separating Bose-Einstein condensates, and interfaces in binary liquid mixtures.

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

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.

Baryon number violation, baryogenesis, and defects with extra dimensions

In generic models for grand unified theories (GUT), various types of baryon-number-violating processes are expected when quarks and leptons propagate in the background of GUT strings. On the other hand, in models with large extra dimensions, the baryon number violation in the background of a string is not trivial because it must depend on the mechanism of the proton stabilization. In this paper, we argue that cosmic strings in models with extra dimensions can enhance the baryon number violation to a phenomenologically interesting level, if the proton decay is suppressed by the mechanism of localized wave functions. We also make some comments on baryogenesis mediated by cosmological defects. We show that at least two scenarios will be successful in this direction. One is the scenario of leptogenesis where the required lepton number conversion is mediated by cosmic strings, and the other is the baryogenesis from the decaying cosmological domain wall. Both scenarios are new and have not been discussed in the past.

Enhanced baryon number violation due to cosmological defects with localized fermions along extra dimensions

We propose a new scenario of baryon number violations in models with extra dimensions. In the true vacuum, the baryon number is almost conserved due to the localization mechanism of matter fields, which suppresses the interactions between quarks and leptons. We consider several types of cosmological defects in four-dimensional spacetime that shift the center of the localized matter fields, and show that the magnitudes of the baryon number-violating interactions are well enhanced. The application to baryogenesis is also discussed.

Testing cosmological defect formation in the laboratory

Topological defects such as cosmic strings may have been formed at early-universe phase transitions. Direct tests of this idea are impossible, but the mechanism can be elucidated by studying analogous processes in low-temperature condensed-matter systems. Experiments on vortex formation in superfluid helium and in superconductors have so far yielded somewhat confusing results. I shall discuss their possible interpretation.