Superconducting Strings and Magnetic Fields

C.J.A.P. Martins1, 2, and E.P.S.~Shellard1

1 Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Silver Street, Cambridge CB3 9EW, U.K.
2 Centro de Astrof\'{i}sica da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 823, 4150 Porto, Portugal


We use a simple analytic model for the evolution of currents in superconducting strings to estimate the strength of the `seed' magnetic fields generated by these strings. This model is an extension of the string network evolution model of the present authors dependingon a parameter $f$ which characterizes the importance of equilibration processes in the evolution of the currents. For GUT-scale strings or slightly lower energy, we find that a viable seed magnetic field for the galactic dynamo can be generated if the equilibration is weak. On the other hand, electroweak-scale strings create magnetic fields that are smaller than required.


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