Tachyon Field Quantization and Hawking Radiation

We quantize the tachyon field in a static two dimensional dilaton gravity black hole background,and we calculate the Hawking radiation rate. We find that the thermal radiation flux, due to the tachyon field, is larger than the conformal matter one. We also find that massive scalar fields which do not couple to the dilaton, do not give any contribution to the thermal radiation, up to terms quadratic in the scalar curvature.Comment: 13 pages, Latex file, 1 figure available upon reques

Inflation in R2R^2 supergravity with non-minimal superpotentials

We investigate the cosmological inflation in a class of supergravity models that are generalizations of non-supersymmetric $R^2$ models. Although such models have been extensively studied recently, especially after the launch of the PLANCK and BICEP2 data, the class of models that can be constructed has not been exhausted. In this note, working in a supergravity model that is a generalization of Cecotti's model, we show that the appearance of new superpotential terms, which are quadratic in the superfield $\, \Lambda$ that couples to the Ricci supermultiplet, alters substantially the form of the scalar potential. The arising potential has the form of the Starobinsky potential times a factor that is exponential in the inflaton field and dominates for large inflaton values. We show that the well-known Starobinsky inflation scenario is maintained only for unnaturally small fine-tuned values of the coupling describing the $\Lambda^2$ superpotential terms. A welcome feature is the possible increase of the tensor to scalar ratio $r$, within the limits set by the new Planck and BICEP2 data.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, text and references added, version submitted to Phys. Lett.

Cosmological Evolution in a Type-0 String Theory

We study the cosmological evolution of a type-0 string theory by employing non-criticality, which may be induced by fluctuations of the D3 brane worlds. We check the consistency of the approach to O(alpha ') in the corresponding sigma-model. The ten-dimensional theory is reduced to an effective four-dimensional model, with only time dependent fields. We show that the four-dimensional universe has an inflationary phase and graceful exit from it, while the other extra dimensions are stabilized to a constant value, with the fifth dimension much larger than the others. We pay particular attention to demonstrating the role of tachyonic matter in inducing these features. The Universe asymptotes, for large times, to a non-accelerating linearly-expanding Universe with a time-dependent dilaton and a relaxing to zero vacuum energy a la quintessence.Comment: 33 pages LATEX, seven eps figures incorporate

On the radion mediation of the Supersymmetry breaking in N=2, D=5 Supergravity Orbifolds

We discuss the on-shell N=1 Supersymmetric coupling of brane chiral multiplets in the context of N=2, D=5 Supergravity compactified on $S_1/Z_2$ orbifolds. Assuming a constant superpotential on the hidden brane we study the transmission of the supersymmetry breaking to the visible brane. We find that to lowest order in the five dimensional Newton's constant $k_5^2$ and gravitino mass $m_{3/2}^2$ the spinor field of the radion multiplet is responsible of inducing positive one-loop squared masses $m_{\phi}^2 \sim {m_{3/2}^2} / (M_{Planck}^2 R^2)$ to the scalar fields which are localized on the visible brane with $R$ the length scale of the fifth dimension. Considering a cubic superpotential on the visible brane we also find that non-vanishing soft trilinear scalar couplings $A$ are induced given by $A=3m_{\phi}^2/m_{3/2}$.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, version to appear in Physics Letters

Acceleration of the Universe in Type-0 Non-Critical Strings

Presently there is preliminary observational evidence that the cosmological constant might be non zero, and hence that our Universe is eternally accelerating (de Sitter). This poses fundamental problems for string theory, since a scattering matrix is not well defined in such Universes. In a previous paper we have presented a model, based on (non-equilibrium) non-critical strings, which is characterized by eventual ``graceful'' exit from a de Sitter phase. The model is based on a type-0 string theory, involving D3 brane worlds, whose initial quantum fluctuations induce the non criticality. We argue in this article that this model is compatible with the current observations. A crucial r\^ole for the correct ``phenomenology'' of the model is played by the relative magnitude of the flux of the five form of the type 0 string to the size of five of the extra dimensions, transverse to the direction of the flux-field. We do not claim, at this stage at least, that this model is a realistic physical model for the Universe, but we find it interesting that the model cannot be ruled out immediately, at least on phenomenological grounds