Related papers: Asymptotic Observables and the Swampland
In this note we prove that the volume of a causal diamond associated with an inertial observer in asymptotically de Sitter 4-dimensional space-time is monotonically increasing function of cosmological time. The asymptotic value of the…
We consider the emergence of large-scale cosmological expansion in scalar-tensor theories of gravity. This is achieved by modelling sub-horizon regions of space-time as weak-field expansions around Minkowski space, and then subsequently…
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…
We discuss the relations between swampland conjectures and observational constraints on both inflation and dark energy. Using the requirement $|\nabla V|\geq c V$, with $c$ as a universal constant whose value can be derived from inflation,…
Recently there has been an interesting revival of the idea to use large extra dimensions to address the dark energy problem, exploiting the (true) observation that towers of states with masses split, by $M^2_N = f(N) m^2,$ with $f$ an…
Cosmological observations of the recent universe suggest that dark energy equation of state parameter $w$ is growing with time, departing from a cosmological constant for which $w=-1$. Standard quintessence models allow for a varying…
We propose to sharpen the weak gravity conjecture by the statement that, except for BPS states in a supersymmetric theory, the gravitational force is strictly weaker than any electric force and provide a number of evidences for this…
We discuss some of the issues that arise when considering the physics of asymptotically de Sitter spacetimes, and attempts to address them. Our development begins at the classical level, where several initial value problems are discussed,…
We study the cosmology of axion-scalar pairs, coupled by a hyperbolic field-space metric and with a string-motivated rational scalar potential. Borrowing tools from the theory of dynamical systems, we are able to classify all late-time…
We consider a flat cosmological model with a free massless scalar field and the cosmological constant $\Lambda$ in the framework of loop quantum cosmology. The scalar field plays the role of an intrinsic time. We apply the reduced phase…
We discuss FRW universe with time-dependent EoS dark fluid which leads to multiple de Sitter space. This model (as well as its scalar-tensor version) may be considered as some classical analog of cosmological landscape. The universe…
Asymptotically anti-de Sitter space-times are considered in a general dimension $d\ge 4$. As one might expect, the boundary conditions at infinity ensure that the asymptotic symmetry group is the anti-de Sitter group (although there is an…
The idea that the cosmological term, Lambda, should be a time dependent quantity in cosmology is a most natural one. It is difficult to conceive an expanding universe with a strictly constant vacuum energy density, namely one that has…
The interplay between cosmological expansion and local attraction in a gravitationally bound system is revisited in various regimes. First, weakly gravitating Newtonian systems are considered, followed by various exact solutions describing…
Inflation is the currently accepted paradigm for the beginnings of the Universe. To explain the observed almost scale invariant spectrum of density perturbations with only a slight spectral tilt, inflation must have been "slow roll", that…
We describe a rigorous construction, using matched asymptotic expansions, which establishes under very general conditions that local terrestrial and solar-system experiments will measure the effects of varying `constants' of Nature…
The accelerated expansion of the universe is a rather established fact in cosmology and many different models have been proposed as a viable explanation. Many of these models are based on the standard general relativistic framework of…
We study the general features of the dynamics of the phantom field in the cosmological context. In the case of inverse coshyperbolic potential, we demonstrate that the phantom field can successfully drive the observed current accelerated…
We consider spacetime-dependent solutions to string theory models with tadpoles for dynamical fields, arising from non-trivial scalar potentials. The solutions have necessarily finite extent in spacetime, and are capped off by boundaries at…
A large class of $\Lambda < 0$ cosmologies have big-bang / big crunch spacetimes with time-symmetric backgrounds and asymptotically AdS Euclidean continuations suggesting a possible holographic realization. We argue that these models…