Quantization of Cosmic Strings

+ 4 like - 0 dislike
368 views

I know there is a lot of work (recently as well) on quantum fields in the vicinity of cosmic strings. Basically, working out what can happen to matter fields in conical metrics. There has also been some work on pairs of cosmic strings, getting Casimir-like effects.

My question is more about the actual quantization of cosmic strings. They are naturally classical objects, with the energy scale (tension) set by the symmetry breaking scale. But I'm curious about small-scale behavior - what if I wanted to know about the extreme local behavior of a cosmic string, say how it interacts with another string or scattering with matter fields. Naively, I would expect if you tried to quantize the string itself you would get all the usual open-string-like modes from String theory, 26 dimensions, etc, but could there be quantum excitations on such a string? Is there any work in this area, or is the scale of these objects such that the question is a bit nonsensical?

 Please use answers only to (at least partly) answer questions. To comment, discuss, or ask for clarification, leave a comment instead. To mask links under text, please type your text, highlight it, and click the "link" button. You can then enter your link URL. Please consult the FAQ for as to how to format your post. This is the answer box; if you want to write a comment instead, please use the 'add comment' button. Live preview (may slow down editor)   Preview Your name to display (optional): Email me at this address if my answer is selected or commented on: Privacy: Your email address will only be used for sending these notifications. Anti-spam verification: If you are a human please identify the position of the character covered by the symbol $\varnothing$ in the following word:p$\hbar$ysicsOve$\varnothing$flowThen drag the red bullet below over the corresponding character of our banner. When you drop it there, the bullet changes to green (on slow internet connections after a few seconds). To avoid this verification in future, please log in or register.