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arXiv · 1110.1631

Radio bursts from superconducting strings

Yi-Fu Cai·Eray Sabancilar·Tanmay Vachaspati
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Abstract

We show that radio bursts from cusps on superconducting strings are linearly polarized, thus, providing a signature that can be used to distinguish them from astrophysical sources. We write the event rate of string-generated radio transients in terms of observational variables, namely, the event duration and flux. Assuming a canonical set of observational parameters, we find that the burst event rate can be quite reasonable, e.g., order ten a year for Grand Unified strings with 100 TeV currents, and a lack of observed radio bursts can potentially place strong constraints on particle physics models.

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Yi-Fu Cai, Eray Sabancilar, Tanmay Vachaspati. 2012-01-30. Radio bursts from superconducting strings. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.85.023530

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