Composite Defect Extends Analogy between Cosmology andH3e

V. B. Eltsov, T. W. B. Kibble, M. Krusius, V. M. H. Ruutu, G. E. Volovik
2000 Physical Review Letters  
Spin-mass vortices have been observed to form in rotating superfluid 3He-B following the absorption of a thermal neutron and a rapid transition from the normal to superfluid state. The spin-mass vortex is a composite defect which consists of a planar soliton (wall) which terminates on a linear core (string). This observation fits well within the framework of a cosmological scenario for defect formation, known as the Kibble-Zurek mechanism. It suggests that in the early Universe analogous cosmological defects might have formed.
doi:10.1103/physrevlett.85.4739 pmid:11082640 fatcat:fkfervqpdzdebljyn4fc7nf664