Defect Induced Structure Formation in the Early Universe

Abstract When describing the early universe as an FRW metric and being filled with perfect fluids, there is no first principle understanding of structure formation. Instead, at high temperatures one must describe the matter as a quantum field theory. As the universe expands, this field theory will undergo phase transitions, and the possibility for topological defects arise. This paper will discuss how topological defects form, and their role in structure formation in the early universe, focusing on cosmic strings.