General relativistic strings

Abstract

The properties of infinite-length cosmic strings are investigated using the full coupled equations for the metric and the scalar and gauge fields which make up the string. It is argued that there exists a class of static cylindrically symmetric solutions of these equations representing an isolated string. All of these solutions approach Minkowski spacetime minus a wedge. An exact formula is given for the angle of light bending by the string. These results are substantially in agreement with earlier treatments of cosmic strings, which used approximations for the stress energy of the string.