Microlensing by Cosmic Strings

Details Microlensing by Cosmic Strings Microlensing by Cosmic Strings

2007-07-20

arxiv.org/abs/0707.2971v2

MNRAS 2008, 384, 161

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

4 pages, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Scientific paper

10.1111/j.1365-2966.2007.12663.x

We consider the signature and detectability of gravitational microlensing of distant quasars by cosmic strings. Because of the simple image configuration such events will have a characteristic light curve, in which a source would appear to brighten by exactly a factor of two, before reverting to its original apparent brightness. We calculate the optical depth and event rate, and conclude that current predictions and limits on the total length of strings on the sky imply optical depths of $\la 10^{-8}$ and event rates of fewer than one event per $10^9$ sources per year. Disregarding those predictions but replacing them with limits on the density of cosmic strings from the CMB fluctuation spectrum, leaves only a small region of parameter space (in which the sky contains about $3\times10^5$ strings with deficit angle of order 0.3 milli-arcseconds) for which a microlensing survey of exposure $10^7$ source-years, spanning a 20--40-year period, might reveal the presence of cosmic strings.

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