Related papers: Revisiting the Scalar Weak Gravity Conjecture

We study scenarios where a scalar field has a spatially varying vacuum expectation value such that the total field variation is super-Planckian. We focus on the case where the scalar field controls the coupling of a U(1) gauge field, which…

Several recent works have claimed that the Weak Gravity Conjecture (WGC) excludes super-Planckian displacements of axion fields, and hence large-field axion inflation, in the absence of monodromy. We argue that in theories with $N\gg1$…

We prove a version of the Weak Gravity Conjecture for 6d F-theory or heterotic string compactifications with 8 supercharges. This sharpens our previous analysis by including massless scalar fields. The latter are known to modify the Weak…

We derive constraints on scalar field theories coupled to gravity by using recently developed positivity bounds in the presence of gravity. It is found that a canonically-normalized real scalar cannot have an arbitrarily flat potential…

In the present work we revisit a model consisting of a scalar field with a quartic self-interaction potential non-minimally (conformally) coupled to gravity [1]. When the scalar field vacuum is in a broken symmetry state, an effective…

In this note, we discuss the implications of the weak gravity conjecture (WGC) for general models of large-field inflation with a large number of axions $N$. We first show that, from the bottom-up perspective, such models admit a variety of…

We show that, as a result of non-linear self-interactions, it is feasible, at least in light of the bounds coming from terrestrial tests of gravity, measurements of the Casimir force and those constraints imposed by the physics of compact…

We show that one can uncover a Dine-Seiberg problem for de Sitter critical points in supergravity theories by utilizing the magnetic weak gravity conjecture. We present a large variety of N=2 gauged supergravity models that include vector…

We propose a generalisation of the Weak Gravity Conjecture in de Sitter space by studying charged black-holes and comparing the gravitational and an abelian gauge forces. Using the same condition as in flat space, namely the absence of…

We search for viable f(R) theories of gravity, making use of the equivalence between such theories and scalar-tensor gravity. We find that models can be made consistent with solar system constraints either by giving the scalar a high mass…

For a light scalar coupled to gravity, I study the gravitational backreaction associated with large field variations. I show a generic obstruction in sourcing a super-Planckian scalar profile without making the whole experiment collapse…

We explore the prospects for bounding the weak scale using the weak gravity conjecture (WGC), addressing the hierarchy problem by violating the expectations of effective field theory. Building on earlier work by Cheung and Remmen, we…

We consider the possibility of energy being exchanged between the scalar and matter fields in scalar-tensor theories of gravity. Such an exchange provides a new mechanism which can drive variations in the gravitational 'constant' G. We find…

We consider the gravitational Wilsonian effective action at low energy when all the particles of the standard model have decoupled. When the ${\cal R}^2$ terms dominate, the theory is equivalent to a scalar-tensor theory with the universal…

We discuss some of the issues which we encounter when we try to invoke the scalar-tensor theories of gravitation as a theoretical basis of quintessence. One of the advantages of appealing to these theories is that they allow us to implement…

We discover a weak-gravity bound in scalar-gravity systems in the asymptotic-safety paradigm. The weak-gravity bound arises in these systems under the approximations we make, when gravitational fluctuations exceed a critical strength.…

We study observational bounds in a class of scalar-tensor gravity theories recently proposed. Either an upper or lower bound on a conformal factor in these theories is derived from null observation in composition dependent fifth force…

We propose an alternative refined de Sitter conjecture. It is given by a natural condition on a combination of the first and second derivatives of the scalar potential. We derive our conjecture in the same weak coupling, semi-classical…

We investigate the weak gravity bounds on the U(1) gauge theory and scalar field theories in various dimensional noncommutative space. Many results are obtained, such as the upper bound on the noncommutative scale $g_{YM}M_p$ for four…

Effective potential of a scalar field induced by weak gravity is studied. The set of operators relevant for leading effects and preserving the second order of field equations is found. It is shown that only the mass term and a specific…