Cosmic string loop microlensing
Name
PhysRevD.89.124003.pdf
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2.26 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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Author(s)
Chernoff, David F.
Bloomfield, Jolyon
Date Issued
June 2014
Journal
Physical Review D
Publisher
American Physical Society
Citation
Bloomfield, Jolyon K., and David F. Chernoff. "Cosmic string loop microlensing." Phys. Rev. D 89 (June 2014), 124003. © 2014 American Physical Society
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Cosmic superstring loops within the galaxy microlens background point sources lying close to the observer-string line of sight. For suitable alignments, multiple paths coexist and the (achromatic) flux enhancement is a factor of two. We explore this unique type of lensing by numerically solving for geodesics that extend from source to observer as they pass near an oscillating string. We characterize the duration of the flux doubling and the scale of the image splitting. We probe and confirm the existence of a variety of fundamental effects predicted from previous analyses of the static infinite straight string: the deficit angle, the Kaiser-Stebbins effect, and the scale of the impact parameter required to produce microlensing. Our quantitative results for dynamical loops vary by O(1) factors with respect to estimates based on infinite straight strings for a given impact parameter. A number of new features are identified in the computed microlensing solutions. Our results suggest that optical microlensing can offer a new and potentially powerful methodology for searches for superstring loop relics of the inflationary era.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.89.124003
