Cosmic Strings and Gravitational Waves

PHYSICS DEPARTMENT PRESENTS:
Ken Olum
Research Professor, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
Tufts University

Our universe may be filled with a network of cosmic strings: thin (10-29m), long (light-years), dense (1016 kg/m) objects dating from the earliest moments of the universe. If they exist, they will provide a window into fundamental physics at otherwise unreachable scales. The best hope to detect them is to look for gravitational waves emitted by string loops as they oscillate at relativistic speeds. I will discuss how we calculate the gravitational wave signals to be expected, and the prospects for observing them and distinguishing them from other gravitational wave sources.