Microphysics of SO(10) cosmic strings

We uncover a rich microphysical structure for SO(10) cosmic strings. For the Abelian string the electroweak symmetry is restored around it in a region depending on the electroweak scale. Four distinct non-Abelian strings are found. Some of these also restore the electroweak symmetry. We investigate the zero mode structure of our strings. Whilst there are right-handed neutrino zero modes for the Abelian string, they do not survive the electroweak phase transition in the case of the lowest energy solution. We elucidate the zero mode structure for the non-Abelian strings above and below the electroweak phase transition. We consider the generalization of our results to other theories and consider the cosmological consequences of them.