The Search for Cosmic Strings

Cosmic strings are hypothetical remnants of the early universe whose formation is a predicted result of spontaneous symmetry breaking. Detectable cosmic strings, which are on an energy scale of ~10¹⁵ GeV, may have formed during symmetry breakings that occurred in certain Grand Unified Theories (GUT) or at the end of inflation. Proof of their existence would excite both particle physicists and astronomers, as strings could connect us directly with exotic matter and conditions of the moments right after the Big Bang.