Evolution of cosmic networks

The cosmological evolution of three-dimensional networks of monopoles connected by strings is studied both numerically and analytically. We find that the networks evolve in a self-similar fashion. Monopoles and antimonopoles annihilate, creating larger and larger gaps in the network, so that the typical scale of the network grows proportionally to time. Observational constraints on the parameters of the model and possible cosmological implications of networks are briefly discussed.