The study’s authors uncovered how mysterious cosmic strings could have disappeared, although the consequences of their existence are still detectable.
Some models of the Universe predict the existence of a huge number of cosmic strings that permeate the cosmos. But they have not yet been discovered. The authors of a new study published on the arXiv preprint server believe that these strings could have broken, but traces of these processes still remained, Live Science writes.
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Cosmic strings are the remnants of the earliest moments of the existence of the Universe. During the first second after the Big Bang, the Universe experienced several phase transitions, during which the main forces of nature separated. Many scientists believe that each phase transition resulted in defects in the fabric of space-time. These defects could have different shapes and properties depending on the characteristics of the as yet unknown physics that existed in the first moments of the life of the Universe.
Important
An ancient light that shouldn’t exist. One of the main mysteries of the early Universe has been solved (photo)
But scientists consider cosmic strings to be the most common defect. If they exist, they are most likely very exotic objects that stretch across the entire Universe, have a thickness no greater than the size of a proton, and 1 km of such strings has a mass greater than the mass of the Earth. At least that’s what the theories say, because cosmic strings remain hypothetical objects that no one has ever seen.
Theories also suggest that cosmic strings are stable and indestructible. The only thing that can destroy them is the intersection of these strings or their looping on themselves. As a result, vibrations should arise that will lead to the decay of the string into a stream of particles and high-energy radiation.
The authors of the new study believe that cosmic strings are not stable. Instead, they are metastable. It is a phenomenon that occurs when a system may find itself in a stable position and remain there for an indefinite period of time, but any shift from this position will force the system to find a new location.
For example, imagine falling down a hill, rushing down the side, and then falling into a hole. If you ended up there, then you are now metastable. If nothing happens, you will remain in the hole forever, but if something pushes you out, you will continue to descend.
Scientists believe that such a hypothetical elementary particle as a magnetic monopole (has a non-zero magnetic charge) can lead to destabilization of the cosmic string. It is believed that these particles could have arisen during phase transitions in the early Universe.
Both magnetic monopoles and their antipodes, antimonopoles, may appear near cosmic strings, scientists believe. But both of these particles quickly destroy each other. The authors of the study suggest that as a result, energy is released that can break the cosmic string. And this leads to a loss of stability and its complete destruction.
When the cosmic string disappears, vibration occurs, which can cause the appearance of gravitational waves. Scientists believe that there are most likely very few cosmic strings left in the Universe, and therefore they have not yet been discovered. But the gravitational waves they create may still exist.
These waves may be the so-called background noise of the Universe, which was discovered last year and continues to puzzle scientists, as I wrote earlier Focus. The authors of the study say that it is necessary to more carefully study the mysterious phenomenon, which may help to find cosmic strings.
Also Focus wrote about a new astronomical object that puzzled scientists. The fact is that they do not yet know what he really is. Perhaps this is a record-breaking black hole or a neutron star.