REVIEW 11 cited by
Nothing is certain in string compactifications
Not yet reviewed by Pith; the record is open.
This paper has not been read by Pith yet. Machine review is queued; the pith claim, tier, and objections will appear here once it completes.
SPECIMEN: schema-true, not a live event
T0 review · schema-true
One-sentence machine reading of the paper's core claim.
pith:XXXXXXXX · record.json · timestamp
Nothing is certain in string compactifications
abstract
A bubble of nothing is a spacetime instability where a compact dimension collapses. After nucleation, it expands at the speed of light, leaving "nothing" behind. We argue that the topological and dynamical mechanisms which could protect a compactification against decay to nothing seem to be absent in string compactifications once supersymmetry is broken. The topological obstruction lies in a bordism group and, surprisingly, it can disappear even for a SUSY-compatible spin structure. As a proof of principle, we construct an explicit bubble of nothing for a $T^3$ with completely periodic (SUSY-compatible) spin structure in an Einstein dilaton Gauss-Bonnet theory, which arises in the low-energy limit of certain heterotic and type II flux compactifications. Without the topological protection, supersymmetric compactifications are purely stabilized by a Coleman-deLuccia mechanism, which relies on a certain local energy condition. This is violated in our example by the nonsupersymmetric GB term. In the presence of fluxes this energy condition gets modified and its violation might be related to the Weak Gravity Conjecture. We expect that our techniques can be used to construct a plethora of new bubbles of nothing in any setup where the low-energy bordism group vanishes, including type II compactifications on $CY_3$, AdS flux compactifications on 5-manifolds, and M-theory on 7-manifolds. This lends further evidence to the conjecture that any non-supersymmetric vacuum of quantum gravity is ultimately unstable.
Forward citations
Cited by 11 Pith papers
-
The Lorentzian Geometry of Tunneling in Global de Sitter at Late Time
A late-time Lorentzian Hamiltonian/WKB calculation of bubble nucleation in de Sitter reproduces the CDL decay exponent for all tunneling types, with gravity-dominated bubbles going on-shell at the parent horizon.
-
A more effective QCD string at colliders: Decay of excited strings and the worldsheet axion
Excitations of the worldsheet axion in an effective QCD string theory produce a phase-dependent effective tension that exponentially modifies the rate of string breaking via quark pair nucleation.
-
$\text{AdS}_D\times I$ solutions in axio-dilaton gravity
The authors reformulate the equations of motion for AdS_D × I solutions in axio-dilaton gravity as a first-order autonomous dynamical system, identify fixed points and analytic solutions for arbitrary D including in t...
-
AdS$_9$ solutions in type II supergravities
New analytic AdS9 solutions in type IIB with finite action and central charge, numerical massive IIA solutions with diverging action, and perturbative dS9 solutions are constructed in type II supergravities.
-
Bordisms between 9d type IIB supergravities and commutator widths of duality groups
Proposes a refinement of the Swampland Cobordism Conjecture for Ω1(BG) with duality bundle G, where diverging commutator width of G requires infinitely many duality defects to realize monodromies via gravitational solitons.
-
Bordisms between 9d type IIB supergravities and commutator widths of duality groups
Proposes a refinement of the Swampland Cobordism Conjecture for duality groups, arguing that diverging commutator widths necessitate infinitely many duality defects to realize monodromies in 9d supergravity bordisms.
-
Morse-Bott inequalities, Topology Change and Cobordisms to Nothing
Morse-Bott inequalities yield homology bounds and topology-change counts for generic cobordisms to nothing in string theory compactifications.
-
Heterotic Strings on Enriques Surfaces
Classifies shift vectors for heterotic orbifolds on Enriques surfaces, analyzes spectra, and interprets some models as non-supersymmetric 10D heterotic compactifications with tachyon projection.
-
Heterotic Strings on Enriques Surfaces
Classification of shift vectors in heterotic orbifold compactifications on Enriques surfaces with spectrum analysis and tachyon projection for non-supersymmetric interpretations.
-
Double fibration in G-theory and the cobordism conjecture
In G-theory motivated Type IIB compactifications with varying fields, End of the World branes trivialize a cohomology class and additional non-perturbative objects are required to cancel the bordism group while retain...
-
Aspects of strings without spacetime supersymmetry
A survey of tachyons and tadpoles in non-supersymmetric closed and orientifold strings, including ten-dimensional models and landscape attempts.
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.