2007/02/28 by Katherine J. Mack, Daniel H. Wesley, Daniel Wesley +2 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Anisotropy #Astronomy #Astrophysics #COSMIC cancer database #Cosmic microwave background #Cosmic string #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Gravitational lens #Gravitational wave #LOFAR #Parameter space #Physics #Population #Quantum mechanics #Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology #Radio telescope #Redshift #String (physics) #Theoretical physics #Weak gravitational lensing #astro-ph #hep-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.76.123515
published as Phys.Rev.D76:123515,2007 · 20 pages, 3 figures. v3: Some clarification of text, revised figure, appendix added. Submitted to Phys. Rev. D
arxiv created 2007/09/26 · openalex publication_date 2007/12/28 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We show that the existence of cosmic strings can be strongly constrained by the next generation of gravitational lensing surveys at radio frequencies. We focus on cosmic string loops, which simulations suggest would be far more numerous than long (horizon-sized) strings. Using simple models of the loop population and minimal assumptions about the lensing cross section per loop, we estimate the optical depth to lensing and show that extant radio surveys such as CLASS have already ruled out a portion of the cosmic string model parameter space. Future radio interferometers, such as LOFAR and especially SKA, may constrain G\ensuremathμ/c2<10^\ensuremath-9 in some regions of parameter space, outperforming current constraints from pulsar timing and the cosmic microwave backgound by up to two orders of magnitude. This method relies on direct detections of cosmic strings, and so is less sensitive to the theoretical uncertainties in string network evolution that weaken other constraints.