TY - JOUR

T1 - Constraints on Cosmic Strings Using Data from the Third Advanced LIGO–Virgo Observing Run

AU - LIGO Scientific Collaboration, Virgo Collaboration & KAGRA Collaboration

AU - Pitkin, Matthew

N1 - © 2021 American Physical Society

PY - 2021/6/16

Y1 - 2021/6/16

N2 - We search for gravitational-wave signals produced by cosmic strings in the Advanced LIGO and Virgo full O3 dataset. Search results are presented for gravitational waves produced by cosmic string loop features such as cusps, kinks, and, for the first time, kink-kink collisions. A template-based search for short-duration transient signals does not yield a detection. We also use the stochastic gravitational-wave background energy density upper limits derived from the O3 data to constrain the cosmic string tension Gμ as a function of the number of kinks, or the number of cusps, for two cosmic string loop distribution models.Additionally, we develop and test a third model that interpolates between these two models. Our results improve upon the previous LIGO–Virgo constraints on Gμ by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude depending on the model that is tested. In particular, for the one-loop distribution model, we set the most competitiveconstraints to date: Gμ ≲ 4 × 10−15. In the case of cosmic strings formed at the end of inflation in the context of grand unified theories, these results challenge simple inflationary models.

AB - We search for gravitational-wave signals produced by cosmic strings in the Advanced LIGO and Virgo full O3 dataset. Search results are presented for gravitational waves produced by cosmic string loop features such as cusps, kinks, and, for the first time, kink-kink collisions. A template-based search for short-duration transient signals does not yield a detection. We also use the stochastic gravitational-wave background energy density upper limits derived from the O3 data to constrain the cosmic string tension Gμ as a function of the number of kinks, or the number of cusps, for two cosmic string loop distribution models.Additionally, we develop and test a third model that interpolates between these two models. Our results improve upon the previous LIGO–Virgo constraints on Gμ by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude depending on the model that is tested. In particular, for the one-loop distribution model, we set the most competitiveconstraints to date: Gμ ≲ 4 × 10−15. In the case of cosmic strings formed at the end of inflation in the context of grand unified theories, these results challenge simple inflationary models.

U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.241102

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.241102

M3 - Letter

VL - 126

JO - Physical review letters

JF - Physical review letters

SN - 1079-7114

IS - 24

M1 - 241102

ER -