Probing cosmic superstrings with gravitational waves

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2016

Authors

Sousa, L (Author) Other; Avelino, PP (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: Physical Review D

Vol. 94

ISSN: 2470-0010

Publisher: American Physical Society

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 31 Citations

Scopus - 30 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00M-3AQ

DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.94.063529

Abstract (EN): We compute the stochastic gravitational wave background generated by cosmic superstrings using a semianalytical velocity-dependent model to describe their dynamics. We show that heavier string types may leave distinctive signatures on the stochastic gravitational wave background spectrum within the reach of present and upcoming gravitational wave detectors. We examine the physically motivated scenario in which the physical size of loops is determined by the gravitational backreaction scale and use NANOGrav data to derive a conservative constraint of G mu(F) < 3.2 x 10(-9) on the tension of fundamental strings. We demonstrate that approximating the gravitational wave spectrum generated by cosmic superstring networks using the spectrum generated by ordinary cosmic strings with reduced intercommuting probability (which is often done in the literature) leads, in general, to weaker observational constraints on G mu(F). We show that the inclusion of heavier string types is required for a more accurate characterization of the region of the (g(s), G mu(F)) parameter space that may be probed using direct gravitational wave detectors. In particular, we consider the observational constraints that result from NANOGrav data and show that heavier strings generate a secondary exclusion region of parameter space.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 17