Related papers: Closing the Universe by relaxing the cosmological …
We develop a string-inspired model for particle cosmology, based on a flipped SU(5)$\times$U(1) gauge group formulated in a no-scale supergravity framework. The model realizes Starobinsky-like inflation, which we assume to be followed by…
We present the simplest, string-derivable, supergravity model and discuss its experimental consequences. This model is a new string-inspired flipped $SU(5)$ which unifies at the string scale $M_U=10^{18}\GeV$ due to the introduction of an…
In a recent paper, we identified a cosmological sector of a flipped $SU(5)$ model derived in the free fermionic formulation of the heterotic superstring, containing the inflaton and the goldstino superfields with a superpotential leading to…
We propose a string-derived model based on the gauge group $SU(5)\times U(1)$ which satisfies the stringent constraints from no-scale supergravity, allows gauge coupling unification at the string scale, and entails previously unexplored…
In this work we present a model of the universe in which dark energy is modelled explicitely with both a dynamical quintessence field and a cosmological constant. Our results confirm the possibility of a future collapsing universe (for a…
I report on recent numerical simulations of the simplest field theory with cosmic string solutions, the Abelian Higgs model. We find that random networks of string quickly converge to a scaling solution in which the network scale length…
We explore the postulates of string no-scale supergravity in the context of free-fermionic string models. The requirements of vanishing vacuum energy, flat directions of the scalar potential, and stable no-scale mechanism impose strong…
The possible solution of dark matter problem with neutralinos of supersymmetric models within the supergravity framework is reviewed. A novel correlation between the neutralino relic abundance $\Omega_\chi$ and the soft supersymmetry…
We present a string theory construction in which the particle physics contributions to the one-loop vacuum energy exactly cancel, whilst the gravitational contributions are suppressed in the size of one or two large extra dimensions. This…
The accelerating expansion of the Universe points to a small positive vacuum energy density and negative vacuum pressure. A strong candidate is the cosmological constant in Einstein's equations of General Relativity. The vacuum dark energy…
We present a unified string supergravity model based on a string-derived $SU(5)\times U(1)$ model and a string-inspired supersymmetry breaking scenario triggered by the $F$-term of the universally present dilaton field. This model can be…
We study the cosmological constant problem in a three-dimensional N=2 supergravity theory with gauge group SU[2]_{global}xU[1]_{local}. The model we consider is known to admit string-like configurations, the so-called semi-local cosmic…
The Standard Model is the low-energy limit of a microscopic theory which includes extra dimensions and new symmetries. A part of my thesis consisted in constructing a new class of models with two extra dimensions. We showed that these…
The space-time dimensions transverse to a static straight cosmic string with a sufficiently large tension (supermassive cosmic strings) are compact and typically have a singularity at a finite distance form the core. In this paper, we…
A solution of the vortex type is given in a six-dimensional $SU(2)\times U(1)$ pure gauge theory coupled to Einstein gravity in a compactified background geometry. We construct the solution of an effective abelian Higgs model in terms of…
We extend the formalism of Hamiltonian string bit models of quantum gravity type in two spacetime dimensions to include couplings to particles. We find that the single-particle closed and open universe models respectively behave like empty…
We provide a thorough exposition of recent results on the quantum stabilization of cosmic strings. Stabilization occurs through the coupling to a heavy fermion doublet in a reduced version of the standard model. The study combines the…
We argue that traditional methods of compactification of string theory make it very difficult to understand how the cosmological constant becomes zero. String inspired models can give zero cosmological constant after fine tuning but since…
We study the cosmology of a string derived supersymmetric flipped $SU(5)$ model in the context of free-fermionic heterotic constructions that allow full calculability of the effective supergravity in perturbation theory around the fermionic…
In this talk we present a model of the universe in which dark energy is modelled explicitely with both a dynamical quintessence field and a cosmological constant. Our results confirm the possibility of a collapsing universe (for a given…