HIGH-ENERGY NEUTRINO FLUX FROM ORDINARY COSMIC STRINGS

We calculate the flux of ultrahigh energy neutrinos from ordinary (i.e. non-superconducting) cosmic strings and compare the results with the most recent observational constraints. For heavy strings (where the mass per unit length is determined by the scale of grand unification) the predicted flux is below the present observational limits. However, sufficiently light strings may be detectable by this mechanism. Our calculations give only upper limits for the neutrino flux, since the source of the neutrinos, jets from particle production at cusps, may be weakened by back-reaction effects. © 1990.