Gravitational Waves from Metastable Cosmic Strings

Explore a 26-minute conference talk from the Workshop on Phase Transitions and Topological Defects in the Early Universe, where CERN researcher Kai Schmitz delves into the fascinating realm of gravitational waves generated by metastable cosmic strings. Learn about the theoretical framework of cosmic string networks, their role in Standard Model extensions, and their connection to Grand Unified Theories (GUTs). Discover how metastable cosmic strings, which eventually collapse due to GUT monopole nucleation, could explain recent pulsar timing data observations while potentially being detectable by current-generation ground-based interferometers. Gain insights into particle physics processes near the GUT scale through the study of gravitational wave signals, based on collaborative research presented in paper 2107.04578. Follow the comprehensive discussion through topics including cosmic string networks, stochastic gravitational wave backgrounds, unification theories, decay rates, kinetic equations, number density calculations, and resulting gravitational wave spectra.