Related papers: A no-go theorem for accelerating cosmologies from …
We investigate compactifications of M-theory from $11\to 5\to 4$ dimensions and discuss geometrical properties of 4-d moduli fields related to the structure of 5-d theory. We study supersymmetry breaking by compactification of the fifth…
We propose a new holographic C-function for the accelerating universe defined in the stringy frame motivated mainly by the fact that the number of degrees of freedom should be infinite for a physical system of infinite size. This is the…
We study whether the universal runaway behaviour of stringy scalar potentials towards infinite field distance limits can produce an accelerated expanding cosmology \`{a} la quintessence. We identify a loophole to some proposed bounds that…
At the leading order, M-theory admits minimal supersymmetric compactifications if the internal manifold has exceptional holonomy. The inclusion of non-vanishing fluxes in M-theory and string theory compactifications induce a superpotential…
After a pedagogical review of elementary cosmology, I go on to discuss some obstacles to obtaining inflationary or accelerating universes in M/String Theory. In particular, I give an account of an old No-Go Theorem to this effect. I then…
We discuss issues concerning M(atrix) theory compactifications on curved spaces. We argue from the form of the graviton propagator on curved space that excited string states do not decouple from the annulus D0-brane $v^4$ amplitude, unlike…
Three theoretical criteria for gravitational theories beyond general relativity are considered: obtaining the cosmological constant as an integration constant, deriving the energy conservation law as a consequence of the field equations,…
For gravity coupled to N scalar fields with arbitrary potential V, it is shown that all flat (homogeneous and isotropic) cosmologies correspond to geodesics in an (N+1)-dimensional `augmented' target space of Lorentzian signature (1,N),…
In string gas cosmology, the extra dimensions of the underlying theory are kept at a microscopic scale by a gas of strings. In the matter-dominated era, however, dust pressure can lead to oscillations of the extra dimensions and to…
The chameleon, or generalizations thereof, is a light scalar that couple to matter with gravitational strength, but whose manifestation depends on the ambient matter density. A key feature is that the screening mechanism suppressing its…
We argue that field trajectories, which lead to cosmic acceleration and feature rapid turns near the boundary of the moduli space, are in the Swampland. We obtain this result by assuming the validity of the Swampland Distance Conjecture…
In this paper we study M-theory compactifications on seven-dimensional manifolds with SU(3) structure. As such manifolds naturally pick out a specific direction, the resulting effective theory can be cast into a form which is similar to…
Twenty years have passed since the discovery of the accelerated expansion of the Universe, reviving the interest for alternative theories of gravity. Adding a scalar degree of freedom to the usual metric of general relativity is one of the…
We study slow-roll accelerating cosmologies arising from geometric compactifications of type IIA string theory on $T^{6}/(\mathbb{Z}_{2}\,\times\,\mathbb{Z}_{2})$. With the aid of a genetic algorithm, we are able to find quasi-de Sitter…
Oscillating moduli fields can support a cosmological scaling solution in the presence of a perfect fluid when the scalar field potential satisfies appropriate conditions. We examine when such conditions arise in higher-dimensional,…
In this paper we study M-theory compactifications on manifolds of G2 structure. By computing the gravitino mass term in four dimensions we derive the general form for the superpotential which appears in such compactifications and show that…
Recently, in Gong {\em et al} \cite{GWW07} and Wang and Santos \cite{WS07} it was shown that the effective cosmological constant on each of the two orbifold branes can be easily lowered to its current observational value, by using the large…
In this talk we report on recent progress in describing compactifications of string theory and M-theory on G_2 and Spin(7) manifolds. We include the infinite set of alpha'-corrections and describe the entire tower of massless and massive…
We show that the full Horndeski theory with both curvature and torsion can support nonsingular, stable and subluminal cosmological solutions at all times. Thus, with torsion, the usual No-Go theorem that holds in a curved spacetime is…
We present a compact theorem which reveals the fact that static spatially regular massive scalar fields with nonminimal coupling to gravity cannot form spherically symmetric asymptotically flat horizonless matter configurations. In…