2003/07/31 by Arttu Rajantie, A. Rajantie · 2 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Mathematical Theories and Applications #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Earth Systems and Cosmic Evolution #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/00107510310001607206
published as Contemp.Phys. 44 (2003) 485-502 · 26 pages, 10 figures. Updated to match the version published in Contemporary Physics (http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/link.asp?id=dcvj45hv41kr7xf7)
openalex publication_date 2003/11/01 · arxiv created 2004/01/14 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Topological defects are common in many everyday systems. In general, they appear if a symmetry is broken at a rapid phase transition. In this article, I explain why it is believed that they should have also been formed in the early universe and how that would have happened. If topological defects are found, this will provide a way to study observationally the first fractions of a second after the Big Bang, but their apparent absence can also tell us many things about the early universe.