Related papers: A Strong Scalar Weak Gravity Conjecture and Some I…
In the standard model, the weak scale is the only parameter with mass dimensions. This means that the standard model itself can not explain the origin of the weak scale. On the other hand, from the results of recent accelerator experiments,…
Superstring flux compactifications can stabilize all moduli while leading to an enormous number of vacua solutions, each leading to different $4-d$ laws of physics. While the string landscape provides at present the only plausible…
Parity and CP symmetries are broken in the world around us. Nonetheless, parity (or CP) may be a gauge symmetry which is higgsed in our universe. This is assumed in many scenarios for physics beyond the Standard Model, including the classic…
An important unsolved problem that affects practically all attempts to connect string theory to cosmology and phenomenology is how to distinguish effective field theories belonging to the string landscape from those that are not consistent…
Motivated by principles from the Swampland program, which characterize requirements for a consistent UV completion of quantum gravity, combined with observational data, we are led to a unique corner of the quantum gravity landscape. In…
The classical gravitational theory of a scalar field with a gradient coupling to the Ricci tensor is examined. This is a scalar-vector-tensor gravitational theory, but in the case that the coupling is weak and the scalar evolves like a…
We derive a scalar potential in the recently proposed N=1 supersymmetric generalization of f(R) gravity in four space-time dimensions. Any such higher-derivative supergravity is classically equivalent to the standard N=1 supergravity…
We study the variation of the gravitational Newton's constant on cosmological scales in scalar-tensor theories of gravity. We focus on the simplest models of scalar-tensor theories with a coupling to the Ricci scalar of the form $F(\sigma)…
The promising solution to the strong CP problem by a Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry may introduce quality and hierarchy problems, which are both relevant to Planck physics. In this paper, we study whether both problems can be explained by…
Scalar singlet dark matter is one of the simplest and most predictive realisations of the WIMP (weakly-interacting massive particle) idea. Although the model is constrained from all directions by the latest experimental data, it still has…
The Swampland Distance Conjecture (SDC) restricts the geodesic distances that scalars can traverse in effective field theories as they approach points at infinite distance in moduli space. We propose that, when applied to the subset of…
A four dimensional scalar field theory with quartic and of higher power interactions suffers the triviality issue at the quantum level. This is due to coupling constants that, contrary to the physical expectations, seem to grow without a…
We investigate the nature of additional scalar degrees of freedom contained in extended hybrid metric-Palatini gravity, outlining the emergence of two coupled dynamical scalar modes. In particular, we discuss the weak field limit of the…
Though not a part of mainstream physics, Salam's theory of strong gravity remains a viable effective model for the description of strong interactions in the gauge singlet sector of QCD, capable of producing particle confinement and…
The Weak Gravity Conjecture holds that gravity must be the weakest force. This is true of the familiar forces in our own universe -- electromagnetism, for instance, is many orders of magnitude stronger than gravity. But the bold claim of…
Recently the notion that quantum gravity effects could manifest at scales much lower than the Planck scale has seen an intense Swamplandish revival. Dozens of works have explored how the so-called species scale -- at which an effective…
Modified gravity theories often contain a scalar field of gravitational strength which interacts with matter. We examine constraints on the range and the coupling strength of a scalar gravitational degree of freedom using a subset of…
In this work we introduce the rescaled $\mathcal{R}^2$-corrected minimally coupled scalar field theory, a theory that contains minimal quantum corrections of the single scalar field Lagrangian. We develop the theoretical framework in the…
We give evidence that fully supersymmetric Anti-de Sitter vacua of extended supergravity with a residual gauge group containing an abelian factor cannot be scale separated as a consequence of the weak gravity conjecture. We prove this for…
Aims. We investigated the gravitational effects of a scalar field within scalar-tensor gravity as an alternative to dark matter. Motivated by chameleon, symmetron and f(R)-gravity models, we studied a phenomenological scenario where the…