Formation Rate of Semilocal Strings

Abstract

We carry out three-dimensional numerical simulations to investigate the formation rate of semilocal strings. We find that the backreaction of the gauge fields on the scalar field evolution is substantial, and leads to a significant formation rate in the parameter regime where the semilocal strings are classically stable. The formation rate can be as large as one-third of that for cosmic strings, depending on the model parameters.