МULTIDIMENSIONAL GLOBAL MONOPOLE AND NONSINGULAR COSMOLOGY

We consider a spherically symmetric global monopole in general relativity in <i>(D = d + </i>2)-dimensional space-time. For γ < d - 1, where 7 is a parameter characterizing the gravitational field strength, the monopole is shown to be asymptotically flat up to a solid angle defect. In the range d - 1 < γ < <i>2d(d + 1)/(d + </i>2), the monopole space-time contains a cosmological horizon. Outside the horizon, the metric corresponds to a cosmo-logical model of the Kantowski-Sachs type, where spatial sections have the topology R x S^d. In the important case where the horizon is far from the monopole core, the temporal evolution of the Kantowski-Sachs metric is described analytically. The Kantowski-Sachs space-time contains a subspace with a <i>(d + 1</i>)-dimensional Friedmann-Robertson-Walker metric, whose possible cosmological application is discussed. Some estimates in the <i>d </i>= 3 case show that this class of nonsingular cosmologies can be viable. In particular, the symmetry-breaking potential at late times can give rise to both dark matter and dark energy. Other results, generalizing those known in the 4-dimensional space-time, are derived, in particular, the existence of a large class of singular solutions with multiple zeros of the Higgs field magnitude.