Thermodynamics of cosmic defect network evolution

P. P. Avelino, L. Sousa

Abstract
We show that simple thermodynamic conditions determine, to a great extent, the equation of state and dynamics of cosmic defects of arbitrary dimensionality. We use these conditions to provide a more direct derivation of the velocity-dependent one-scale (VOS) model for the macroscopic dynamics of topological defects of arbitrary dimensionality in a (N +1 )-dimensional homogeneous and isotropic universe. We parametrize the modifications to the VOS model associated with the interaction of the topological defects with other fields, including, in particular, a new dynamical degree of freedom associated with the variation of the mass per unit p -area of the defects, and we compute the corresponding scaling solutions. The observational impact of this new dynamical degree of freedom is also briefly discussed.

Physical Review D
Volume 93
January 2016

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