COSMIC-STRING SHOCKS, MAGNETIC-FIELDS, AND MICROWAVE ANISOTROPIES

The shock waves produced by cosmic strings in the post-recombination era are examined. The postshock gas will be turbulent and will thus possess vorticity. I examine the suggestion that galactic magnetic fields can be seeded by this vorticity. The magnetic fields produced by strings are shown to be smaller than had been predicted earlier, but may still be large enough to act as seeds for galactic magnetic fields. The temperature fluctuations, in the CMBR, produced by the postshock gas are also calculated and are shown to be below the present limits of detectability.