33 research outputs found
A New Handle on de Sitter Compactifications
We construct a large new class of de Sitter (and anti de Sitter) vacua of
critical string theory from flux compactifications on products of Riemann
surfaces. In the construction, the leading effects stabilizing the moduli are
perturbative. We show that these effects self-consistently dominate over
standard estimates for further and quantum corrections, via
tuning available from large flux and brane quantum numbers.Comment: 26 pages, harvmac big. v2: Correction generalizing specific
ingredients required for tunable negative term; conclusions and structure of
potential unchange
The Scaling of the No Scale Potential and de Sitter Model Building
We propose a variant of the KKLT (A)dS flux vacuum construction which does
not require an antibrane to source the volume modulus. The strategy is to find
nonzero local minima of the no-scale potential in the complex structure and
dilaton directions in moduli space. The corresponding no-scale potential
expanded about this point sources the volume modulus in the same way as does
the antibrane of the KKLT construction. We exhibit explicit examples of such
nonzero local minima of the no-scale potential in a simple toroidal orientifold
model.Comment: 11 pages, harvmac big. v2: trivial typos fixe
Volume Stabilization via Corrections in Type IIB Theory with Fluxes
We consider the Type IIB string theory in the presence of various extra
-brane pairs compactified on a warped Calabi-Yau threefold that
admits a conifold singularity. We demonstrate that the volume modulus can be
stabilized perturbatively at a non-supersymmetric vacuum by the
effective potential that includes the stringy correction
obtained by Becker {\it et al.} together with a combination of positive tension
and anomalous negative tension terms generated by the additional
7-brane-antibrane pairs.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, parts of introduction and conclusions are
modifie
Stable de Sitter vacua in N=2, D=5 supergravity
We find 5D gauged supergravity theories exhibiting stable de Sitter vacua.
These are the first examples of stable de Sitter vacua in higher-dimensional
(D>4) supergravity. Non-compact gaugings with tensor multiplets and R-symmetry
gauging seem to be the essential ingredients in these models. They are however
not sufficient to guarantee stable de Sitter vacua, as we show by investigating
several other models. The qualitative behaviour of the potential also seems to
depend crucially on the geometry of the scalar manifold.Comment: 26 pages, v2:typos corrected, published versio
Moduli Stabilization with Long Winding Strings
Stabilizing all of the modulus fields coming from compactifications of string
theory on internal manifolds is one of the outstanding challenges for string
cosmology. Here, in a simple example of toroidal compactification, we study the
dynamics of the moduli fields corresponding to the size and shape of the torus
along with the ambient flux and long strings winding both internal directions.
It is known that a string gas containing states with non-vanishing winding and
momentum number in one internal direction can stabilize the radius of this
internal circle to be at self-dual radius. We show that a gas of long strings
winding all internal directions can stabilize all moduli, except the dilaton
which is stabilized by hand, in this simple example.Comment: title changed, improved presentation; reference added. 18 pages, JHEP
styl
An Inflaton Mass Problem in String Inflation from Threshold Corrections to Volume Stabilization
Inflationary models whose vacuum energy arises from a D-term are believed not
to suffer from the supergravity eta problem of F-term inflation. That is,
D-term models have the desirable property that the inflaton mass can naturally
remain much smaller than the Hubble scale. We observe that this advantage is
lost in models based on string compactifications whose volume is stabilized by
a nonperturbative superpotential: the F-term energy associated with volume
stabilization causes the eta problem to reappear. Moreover, any shift
symmetries introduced to protect the inflaton mass will typically be lifted by
threshold corrections to the volume-stabilizing superpotential. Using threshold
corrections computed by Berg, Haack, and Kors, we illustrate this point in the
example of the D3-D7 inflationary model, and conclude that inflation is
possible, but only for fine-tuned values of the stabilized moduli. More
generally, we conclude that inflationary models in stable string
compactifications, even D-term models with shift symmetries, will require a
certain amount of fine-tuning to avoid this new contribution to the eta
problem.Comment: 25 page
Gaugino Condensation and Nonperturbative Superpotentials in Flux Compactifications
There are two known sources of nonperturbative superpotentials for K\"ahler
moduli in type IIB orientifolds, or F-theory compactifications on Calabi-Yau
fourfolds, with flux: Euclidean brane instantons and low-energy dynamics in D7
brane gauge theories. The first class of effects, Euclidean D3 branes which
lift in M-theory to M5 branes wrapping divisors of arithmetic genus 1 in the
fourfold, is relatively well understood. The second class has been less
explored. In this paper, we consider the explicit example of F-theory on with flux. The fluxes lift the D7 brane matter fields, and stabilize
stacks of D7 branes at loci of enhanced gauge symmetry. The resulting theories
exhibit gaugino condensation, and generate a nonperturbative superpotential for
K\"ahler moduli. We describe how the relevant geometries in general contain
cycles of arithmetic genus (and how divisors can
contribute to the superpotential, in the presence of flux). This second class
of effects is likely to be important in finding even larger classes of models
where the KKLT mechanism of moduli stabilization can be realized. We also
address various claims about the situation for IIB models with a single
K\"ahler modulus.Comment: 24 pages, harvmac, no figures, references adde
The Giant Inflaton
We investigate a new mechanism for realizing slow roll inflation in string
theory, based on the dynamics of p anti-D3 branes in a class of mildly warped
flux compactifications. Attracted to the bottom of a warped conifold throat,
the anti-branes then cluster due to a novel mechanism wherein the background
flux polarizes in an attempt to screen them. Once they are sufficiently close,
the M units of flux cause the anti-branes to expand into a fuzzy NS5-brane,
which for rather generic choices of p/M will unwrap around the geometry,
decaying into D3-branes via a classical process. We find that the effective
potential governing this evolution possesses several epochs that can
potentially support slow-roll inflation, provided the process can be arranged
to take place at a high enough energy scale, of about one or two orders of
magnitude below the Planck energy; this scale, however, lies just outside the
bounds of our approximations.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figures, LaTeX. v2: references added, typos fixe
de Sitter String Vacua from Kahler Uplifting
We present a new way to construct de Sitter vacua in type IIB flux
compactifications, in which the interplay of the leading perturbative and
non-perturbative effects stabilize all moduli in dS vacua at parametrically
large volume. Here, the closed string fluxes fix the dilaton and the complex
structure moduli while the universal leading perturbative quantum correction to
the Kahler potential together with non-perturbative effects stabilize the
volume Kahler modulus in a dS_4-vacuum. Since the quantum correction is known
exactly and can be kept parametrically small, this construction leads to
calculable and explicitly realized de Sitter vacua of string theory with
spontaneously broken supersymmetry.Comment: 1+21 pages, 5 figures, LaTeX, uses JHEP3 class, v3: conforms with
published versio
Inflation from Warped Space
A long period of inflation can be triggered when the inflaton is held up on
the top of a steep potential by the infrared end of a warped space. We first
study the field theory description of such a model. We then embed it in the
flux stabilized string compactification. Some special effects in the throat
reheating process by relativistic branes are discussed. We put all these
ingredients into a multi-throat brane inflationary scenario. The resulting
cosmic string tension and a multi-throat slow-roll model are also discussed.Comment: 39 pages; v4, added reference, to appear in JHE