Speaker
Description
The standard model of particle physics is a good approximation for lower energy scales. In the early hot universe, however, it is assumed that there was a so-called grand unified theory, which unifies the three fundamental forces of particle physics: the electromagnetic, the weak, and the strong force. However, all attempts to unify these three forces lead to a possible overabundance of ‘t Hooft-Polyakov magnetic monopoles. But why magnetic monopoles haven’t been observed so far?
In my online presentation, I will discuss the so-called magnetic monopole problem and present one solution for this in more detail. I will present monopoles connected by cosmic strings (Langacker, Pi 1980), particularly focusing on the “slingshot effect” that describes monopoles traversing the boundary between Coulomb and confining phases. This passage causes the gauge field to be confined in a cosmic string connected to the domain wall separating the two phases. This phenomenon, relevant in the early universe, could leave observable imprints such as gravitational radiation.
