Abstract
Superconducting cosmic strings1, predicted in some elementary particle theories, can have dramatic cosmological consequences2–6. Ostriker, Thompson and Witten (OTW) have shown3 that the low-frequency electromagnetic radiation from superconducting closed loops can sweep away the surrounding plasma, and have identified the resulting bubbles of radiation with the voids observed in the large-scale distribution of galaxies. Here I discuss some observational consequences of the OTW model. It will be shown that it predicts observable fluxes of γ-rays and ultra-high energy cosmic rays from long strings stretching across the visible universe.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Witten, E. Nucl. Phys. B249, 557–592 (1985).
Chudnovsky, E. M., Field, C. B., Spergel, D. N. & Vilenkin, A. Phys. Rev. D34, 944–950 (1986).
Ostriker, J. P., Thompson, C. & Witten, E. Phys. Lett. B180, 231–239 (1986).
Vilenkin, A. & Field, G. B. Nature 326, 772–773 (1987).
Hill, C. T., Schramm, D. N. & Walker, T. P. Phys. Rev. D (in the press).
Babul, A., Paczynski, B. & Spergel, D. N. Phys. Rev. D (in the press).
Aryal, M., Vachaspati, T. & Vilenkin, A. Phys. Lett. B194, 25–29 (1987).
Hogan, C. J. & Rees, M. J. Nature 311, 109–114 (1984).
Elbert, J. W. in 13th Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics (ed. Ulmer, M. P.) 567–572 (World Scientific, Singapore, 1987).
Baltrusaitis, R. M. et al. Astrophys J. 297, 145–150 (1985).
Vilenkin, A. in 300 Years of Gravitation (eds Hawking, S. & Israel, W.) 499–523 (Cambridge University Press, 1987).
Vilenkin, A. & Vachaspati, T., Phys. Rev. Lett. 58, 1041–1044 (1987).
Spergel, D. N., Piran, T. & Goodman, J. Nucl. Phys. B (in the press).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Vilenkin, A. Gamma-rays from superconducting cosmic strings. Nature 332, 610–611 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/332610a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/332610a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
