Gravitational Wave Signal from Cosmic Strings
Speaker: Jose J. Blanco-Pillado (IKERBASQUE & EHU Quantum Center, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Spain)
Date/Time: Tuesday 21 October 2025, 16:00
Room: Theresienstr. 37, A318
Title: Gravitational Wave Signals from Cosmic Strings
Abstract:
In this talk, I will review the key theoretical ideas underlying the formation and
evolution of cosmic string networks in cosmology, and show how large-scale numerical
simulations allow us to study their dynamics in detail. I will then focus on cosmic string
loops and discuss recent progress in tracking their evolution throughout their entire lifetimes,
including the effects of gravitational backreaction during their evaporation. Building on these
results, we can predict the stochastic background of gravitational waves produced by the
network and assess how backreaction modifies its spectrum. I will conclude by discussing
the latest observational constraints and the prospects for discovering cosmic strings with
current and future gravitational wave observatories.