Snapping of cosmic strings

Spacetimes are given which describe the snapping of cosmic strings. A string pair exists in an initially static or black-hole universe. Once snapped, each end recoils at the speed of light, swallowing the string in its path. Gravitational shock waves emanate from the moment of snapping. When the radiation has receded, compactified flat space remains. The creation of such strings by the time-reversed process is almost impossible. (author)