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Published March 15, 1998 | public
Journal Article Open

Evolution of a non-Abelian cosmic string network

Abstract

We describe a numerical simulation of the evolution of an S3 cosmic string network which takes fully into account the noncommutative nature of the cosmic string fluxes and the topological obstructions which hinder strings from moving past each other or intercommuting. The influence of initial conditions, string tensions, and other parameters on the network's evolution is explored. Contrary to some previous suggestions, we find no strong evidence of the "freezing" required for a string-dominated cosmological scenario. Instead, the results in a broad range of regimes are consistent with the familiar scaling law, i.e., a constant number of strings per horizon volume. The size of this number, however, can vary quite a bit, as can other overall features. There is a surprisingly strong dependence on the statistical properties of the initial conditions. We also observe a rich variety of interesting new structures, such as light string webs stretched between heavier strings, which are not seen in Abelian networks.

Additional Information

© 1998 by The American Physical Society. Received 24 July 1997; published 19 February 1998. A portion of this work was completed at Caltech, and the remaining portion at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. This work was supported in part by U.S. Department of Energy Grant No. DE-FG03-92-ER40701 and Grant No. DE-F605-85-ER-40219 Task A. The author thanks J. Preskill, T. Vachaspati, A. de Laix, C. Thompson, and P. Sikivie for helpful discussions and encouragement.

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