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Abstract

When cosmic strings cross and intercommute, four kinks are created. We calculate the linear density of these kinks, K(t), in an expanding universe. After a period of rapid initial growth, K(t) approaches the scaling K(t)∝t-1. However, due to the slow decay of kinks, the kink density is orders of magnitude larger than one might expect. Thus, we predict that a single horizon-length segment should have ≊106 kinks in the radiation-dominated era. This may explain the lack of scaling behavior in the formation of loops observed in numerical simulations.