de Sitter Vacua in the String Landscape

Keshav Dasgupta; Maxim Emelin; Mir Mehedi Faruk; Radu Tatar

REVIEW 3 major objections 4 minor 3 cited by

de Sitter Vacua in the String Landscape

T0 review · 3 major / 4 minor · reviewed 2026-08-14 · deepseek-v4-flash

Challenge this review Re-run · record.json Download PDF Read on arXiv ↗ Review JSON

Pith's one-line read The paper argues that time-dependent type IIB backgrounds can yield four-dimensional de Sitter vacua with a time-independent Newton's constant.

desk verdict Dasgupta et al. give a careful, honest construction of a time-dependent type IIB background that could yield 4D de Sitter with time-independent Newton's constant, but the positive result rests on undetermined quantum coefficients, making it a serious candidate framework rather than a proven vacuum. read the letter →

arxiv 1908.05288 v4 pith:VW36RDQ6 submitted 2019-08-14 hep-th gr-qc

Keshav Dasgupta , Maxim Emelin , Mir Mehedi Faruk , Radu Tatar This is my paper · ORCID

classification hep-thgr-qc MSC 81T3083E30 PACS 11.25.-w04.60.-m98.80.-k

keywords deSittervacuastringlandscapetypeIIBtheoryM-theoryupliftquantumcorrectionsswamplandcriteriatime-dependentbackgroundscosmologicalconstant

verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal

The pith

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The reading

This paper tries to establish that four-dimensional de Sitter vacua can exist in the string landscape if the type IIB background, its fluxes, and its internal six-dimensional geometry are all allowed to vary with time. The construction works through the M-theory uplift, where the time-dependent background is treated as a coherent or squeezed-coherent state over a solitonic configuration. The key effect is that time-dependence creates an ordering in powers of the type IIA string coupling $g_s$, lifting the infinite tower of unsuppressed quantum corrections that had blocked time-independent constructions. If this is right, the quantum-corrected Einstein and flux equations can be solved order by order in $g_s$, giving a four-dimensional de Sitter space with a time-independent Newton's constant and a controlled late-time effective field theory. The price of the construction is an explicit demand rather than a derivation: the spacetime quantum corrections classified by $\theta'_k=8/3$ must be tuned to dominate positively in the integrated Einstein equation.

What carries the argument

The central object is the $g_s$-scaling exponent $\theta'_k$ defined in (3.99), which assigns to every quantum correction built from curvatures, G-fluxes, and derivatives its power of the type IIA string coupling. Because $g_s$ runs with time in the background (3.3), a positive $\theta'_k$ makes a correction die off at late times, and the derivative constraints of the volume-preserving case (3.2) remove the infinite class of time-neutral corrections that had destroyed the effective field theory. The companion mechanism is the integrated Einstein equation (4.122), which converts the requirement of a positive cosmological constant into a balance between positive spacetime quantum terms and negative internal contributions; the null energy condition (4.245) is then satisfied by the same $\theta'_k=8/3$ spacetime quantum terms.

What would settle it

Compute the actual numerical coefficients of the $\theta'_k=8/3$ spacetime quantum corrections from a concrete M-theory uplift; the central claim would be settled if these coefficients cannot be tuned so that (4.122) admits $\Lambda>0$ while the null energy condition (4.245), flux quantization (4.140), and anomaly cancellation (4.165) all hold.

Watch

Extended reading notes

Core claim

The central claim, stated on the paper's own terms, is that a time-dependent type IIB background uplifted to M-theory can satisfy the full set of quantum-corrected equations of motion and yield a four-dimensional spacetime with positive curvature, de Sitter isometries, and a time-independent Newton's constant. Classically the background does not solve the equations, and the paper shows that with a time-independent internal space even the Schwinger-Dyson equations obstruct a solution; the resolution is to make the four-dimensional spacetime, the internal space, and the background fluxes all time-dependent, with the G-flux expanded as (3.13) and the type IIA coupling $g_s$ running with time. The quantum corrections, classified by their $g_s$ scaling, then acquire a hierarchy that was absent in the time-independent case, and the integrated Einstein equation (4.122) can be satisfied when the spacetime quantum corrections, the $\theta'_k=8/3$ class, contribute with the dominant positive sign. The paper further argues that flux quantization, anomaly cancellation, stability, and the null energy condition can be met, and that the construction avoids the no-go and swampland criteria while disfavoring alternative backgrounds with time-varying Newton constants, which tend to develop late-time singularities.

Load-bearing premise

The load-bearing premise is that the unknown coefficients of the higher-order spacetime quantum terms, classified by $\theta'_k = 8/3$, can be chosen, rather than forced by string theory, to give the positive dominant contribution to the integrated Einstein equation (4.122) and to satisfy the null energy condition (4.245).

Editorial extensions

If this is right

Time-independent internal geometry cannot be rescued by any finite set of quantum corrections; dipole and Kasner-type isometry breakings do not change that.
Once the internal metric and fluxes are time-dependent, the infinite series of unsuppressed corrections is lifted and a late-time effective field theory is restored.
The quantum-corrected Einstein equations can be solved order by order in $g_s$, yielding a four-dimensional de Sitter solution with constant Newton's constant.
Consistency conditions fix the warp factor and show that the background fluxes are non-self-dual, while anomaly cancellation permits canceling brane-anti-brane configurations.
The null energy condition and the swampland distance criteria can be satisfied, and time-varying Newton constant alternatives generically develop late-time singularities.

Reading between the lines

Editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

A direct way to test the central demand is to compute the $\theta'_k=8/3$ coefficients in a concrete compactification; if unitarity or anomaly constraints fix their signs, the required tuning may be impossible. This is an editorial inference, not a claim of the paper.
The same mechanism, time-dependence creating a small expansion parameter for an otherwise unsuppressed infinite series, could apply to other string-theory obstructions, including moduli stabilization and hierarchy problems, though the paper does not make that claim.
If the construction is correct, late-time cosmology in this vacuum is exactly de Sitter with constant $G_N$, giving a sharp distinction from quintessence models that could be tested by measuring the dark-energy equation of state. This is an inference beyond the text.

Share X Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit HN

Signed reviews

No signed human review yet.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, and a circularity audit.

Desk Editor's Note

read the letter

Colleague, here's my read of Dasgupta et al. 1908.05288. The paper argues that a fully time-dependent type IIB background—internal space and fluxes both time-dependent—can satisfy the quantum-corrected equations of motion and give a 4D de Sitter solution with time-independent Newton's constant. That claim, if right, is significant: it would be a top-down de Sitter vacuum in string theory, relevant to the landscape/swampland debate and to model building. The reader's CONDITIONAL verdict matches my reading.

What's actually new: unlike their earlier work (which showed time-independent internal spaces lead to an infinite tower of unsuppressed corrections and no EFT), here they allow time dependence in both the internal metric and the fluxes. The g_s scaling taxonomy in Section 3 is elaborate: they classify perturbative/non-perturbative, local/non-local corrections and show that for two choices of warp-factor time-dependence (volume-preserving and volume-changing), the g_s hierarchy can be restored and the dangerous time-neutral series killed, provided the G-flux mode satisfies k ≥ 3/2. That part is systematic and reasonably transparent.

The soft spot is exactly where the stress-test puts it. The positive de Sitter result in Sections 4.1.7 and 4.3.2 depends on the sign and magnitude of the spacetime quantum terms classified by θ'_k = 8/3. The paper says 'if we can demand that the dominant positive contributions come from the space-time quantum terms'—it demands, it does not derive. Equations (4.122) and (4.245) require these undetermined coefficients to have specific signs and sizes. The flux quantization and anomaly cancellation checks (4.141, 4.184) don't fix them. So the existence claim is conditional, and the paper is honest about that. That's not an internal inconsistency, but it is a load-bearing gap. A reader who wants a vacuum, not a candidate framework, will be disappointed.

Proportionately: this is a serious paper, not a flawed one. The algebra is dense but the logic is mostly clear. The negative results on time-independent internal spaces and on dipole/Kasner deformations are solid extensions of their prior work. The positive claim is a well-posed conjecture with a specific target for future work: determine those quantum coefficients.

Verdict: would I send it to peer review? Yes—it deserves referee time, because the framework is important, the classification is careful, and the gap is clearly identified. But I'd expect a referee to insist that the coefficients be derived or bounded before accepting the existence claim. For a reading group: maybe, if the group works on de Sitter in string theory; otherwise the length is prohibitive. I'd cite it with a caveat as a representative time-dependent proposal.

Referee Report

3 major / 4 minor

Summary. The paper studies time-dependent type IIB backgrounds with four-dimensional de Sitter isometries, uplifted to M-theory, and asks whether quantum corrections can make such backgrounds solutions of the corrected equations of motion. The authors first argue that time-independent internal spaces and fluxes, even with dipole or Kasner-type deformations, lead to hierarchies that spoil a four-dimensional effective field theory. They then consider a more general ansatz in which the internal metric, the fluxes, and the M-theory G-flux components are all time-dependent, with the type IIB coupling held fixed. A large part of the paper is a systematic classification of the g_s scalings of local and non-local quantum corrections built from fluxes, curvatures, and derivatives. The central claim is that, for the volume-preserving choice (3.2) with time-independent Newton's constant, the quantum-corrected Einstein equations, flux quantization conditions, anomaly cancellations, and energy conditions can all be satisfied to all orders in g_s, yielding a de Sitter space-time with time-independent Newton's constant. The authors emphasize that this happens only if the spacetime quantum terms classified by θ'_k = 8/3 in (3.99) contribute with the required sign and magnitude, as stated in Sections 4.1.7 and 4.3.2.

Significance. If the construction were complete, it would provide a controlled string-theory framework for de Sitter vacua with a late-time effective field theory, and it would directly address long-standing no-go arguments and swampland conjectures. The paper's strengths are its exhaustive classification of quantum corrections, its careful order-by-order organization in g_s, and its explicit consistency checks via flux quantization, anomaly cancellation, and energy conditions. The authors are also honest about the conditional nature of their main result: the existence of the de Sitter vacuum is not derived but is contingent on the sign and magnitude of presently undetermined coefficients of higher-curvature and flux quantum terms. As a result, the paper is best read as a detailed conditional existence argument rather than a proof of de Sitter vacua in string theory. The contribution is nevertheless significant: it identifies precisely where the existence question fails to be closed and provides a technical framework in which a future, more complete derivation could be carried out.

major comments (3)

[§4.1.7 and §4.3.2, Eqs. (4.122) and (4.245)] The central existence claim rests on the assumption that the spacetime quantum terms classified by θ'_k = 8/3 in (3.99) make a positive contribution to the integrated Einstein equation (4.122) and satisfy the null energy condition (4.245). The paper states this as a demand ('if we can demand that the dominant positive contributions come from the space-time quantum terms') rather than as a derived property of M-theory or type IIB string theory. The coefficients of these higher-order terms are treated as arbitrary in the quantum potential (3.81) and its time-neutral generalization (3.92), and the flux-quantization and anomaly-cancellation conditions (4.141) and (4.184) do not fix them at the required order. Without a derivation of the sign and magnitude of these coefficients, the positive-curvature conclusion does not follow. This is the load-bearing gap of the paper and should be addressed, at minimum by sharpening the required inequalities and showing that a consistent set of coefficients exists.
[§3.2.5, Eqs. (3.27) and (3.94)] The elimination of time-neutral quantum series, which is essential for the claimed g_s and M_p hierarchies, relies on input assumptions rather than on consequences of the equations of motion. In particular, Eq. (3.27) sets G(0,0)_{MNPQ} = 0, and the lower bounds on the flux mode k, such as k ≥ 3/2 for the case (3.2), are imposed to make θ'_k in (3.99) positive. The paper does not show that these assumptions are compatible with the full set of flux equations, Bianchi identities, and quantization conditions derived later in Section 4.2. If these restrictions cannot be realized, the hierarchy that suppresses the time-neutral series would be lost, and the EFT-description claim would fail. A concrete consistency check connecting (3.27) and the mode bounds to the flux quantization conditions (4.141) and the anomaly-cancellation conditions (4.184) would considerably strengthen the argument.
[§4.1.4 and §4.1.7, Eqs. (4.75) and (4.122)] The paper shows that the quantum-corrected equations can be balanced order by order in g_s, but it does not exhibit an explicit solution even at the level of the consistent inequalities. Equation (4.122) is an integrated consistency condition in which the RHS vanishes because of the Laplacian integral, and the de Sitter conclusion requires the quantum terms on the LHS to have specific relative signs. The same requirement is restated in (4.245) as the condition that [C^μ_μ]_{(0,0)} be positive. Since these are necessary conditions and not a construction, it remains open whether all the independent Einstein equations, the G-flux equations, and the energy conditions can be satisfied simultaneously by a single choice of the undetermined quantum coefficients. The paper would be substantially more convincing if it demonstrated a concrete truncation or a solvable subset of the inequalities, or if it proved that the required coefficient signs are forced by consistency rather than merely allowed.

minor comments (4)

[§2, Eq. (2.2) and §3, Eq. (3.1)] The notation Λ(t) is used both for the function Λ|t|^2 and for the constant cosmological constant; please define the relationship explicitly at first use and maintain the distinction throughout.
[§3.2.1, Eq. (3.13)] The expansion of G_{MNPQ} in (3.13) with the condition (3.27) and the later mode bounds would benefit from a short physical explanation of why the time-independent part of the flux must vanish and whether this requirement is compatible with the type IIB duality map used in (3.14) and (3.15).
[§3.2.6] The discussion of non-local counter-terms is central to the M_p hierarchy, but the section is dense and the notation for the non-locality functions F(r)(y−y') is introduced quickly; a short summary equation or a table of the main scaling results would improve readability.
[§4.3.2, Eqs. (4.239) and (4.240)] The claim that the swampland criteria are 'easily taken care of' would be clearer if the scalar field (4.238) and the range of validity in time were stated explicitly in the main text, including the role of the time interval (4.168).

Circularity Check

1 steps flagged · score 6.0 of 10

The dS vacuum claim is conditional on the undetermined sign and magnitude of the θ'_k=8/3 spacetime quantum terms; the paper demands rather than derives the needed positivity.

fitted input called prediction [Section 4.1.7, eq. (4.122); Section 4.3.2, eqs. (4.233), (4.245)-(4.247)]
"These quantum terms appear with a relative minus sign in (4.122), and therefore if we can demand that the dominant positive contributions come from the space-time quantum terms, then surprisingly solutions would exist where there were none before! Interestingly, from the exact expression of Λ in (4.233), the burden of getting Λ > 0 also lies solely on the positivity of the quantum corrections, thus bringing us full-circle."

The spacetime quantum terms whose positivity is demanded are the θ'_k=8/3 entries of the generic quantum series (3.95)/(3.99), with coefficients left arbitrary in the quantum potential (3.81). Neither (4.141) nor (4.184) fixes their sign or magnitude at the required order. The integrated Einstein equation (4.122), the exact Λ expression (4.233), and the NEC (4.245)-(4.247) all put the entire burden of Λ>0 on these same coefficients.

full rationale

The paper contains substantial independent algebraic work: the g_s scaling classification (3.84)/(3.99), the flux-quantization conditions (4.140)-(4.141), and the anomaly-cancellation checks (4.165)-(4.184) are nontrivial and do not simply restate the ansatz. The circularity found here is not in those consistency checks. It is concentrated in the final existence step: the only quantity that separates Λ>0 from no solution is the sign and magnitude of the θ'_k=8/3 spacetime quantum corrections, and the paper explicitly demands rather than derives this positivity ('if we can demand...'; 'the burden of getting Λ>0 lies solely on the positivity of the quantum corrections'). Since the coefficients of these quantum terms are free inputs of the effective potential (3.81)/(3.95), the dS conclusion reduces to an assumption on those inputs. The prior self-citations [12,13] are used to motivate the no-go for time-independent internal spaces and to compare eq. (6.10) of [12] to (4.122), but the central circularity is not the citation chain; it is the undetermined coefficient sign. Additional assumptions such as G(0,0)=0 in (3.27) and the lower bounds k≥3/2 or 9/2 are imposed to kill time-neutral series; these are explicit ansatz choices rather than derived constraints, further limiting the independence of the existence claim. Overall, score 6 reflects a partial, load-bearing circularity: the positive-curvature result is conditional on the same free coefficients used to make it.

Assumptions & free parameters 5 free parameters · 6 assumptions · 0 invented entities

The central claim rests on the validity of the M-theory effective action expansion, the coherent state/Schwinger-Dyson framework, the specific time-dependent ansatz, and the ability to choose quantum correction coefficients to satisfy the derived inequalities. None of these is independently established.

free parameters (5)

k_min (Δk lower bound) = ≥ 3/2 for case (3.8); ≥ 1/2 for case (3.2)
Imposed in Section 3.2.5 (eqs. 3.84 and 3.94) to make θ_k and θ'_k positive and remove time-neutral quantum series. The bound is an ad hoc input, not a derived constraint.
G(0,0)_MNPQ = 0
Equation (3.27) kills the time-independent, g_s-independent part of all G-fluxes, eliminating otherwise time-neutral pieces. This is a restriction chosen to make the hierarchy work.
F1F2^2 normalization = 1 (case 3.2) or g_s^2/√h (case 3.8)
Equations (3.7)-(3.8) select how the internal volume depends on time, controlling whether the 4D Newton constant is time-independent. Both branches are ansatz choices, not consequences of the equations of motion.
Quantum correction coefficients = unspecified
The energy-momentum tensors of higher-curvature and flux corrections, e.g., the θ'_k=8/3 terms, contain undetermined constants. The existence of the solution requires them to satisfy inequalities (4.122) and (4.245), but the paper does not fix them.
Λ (four-dimensional cosmological constant) = positive and small, value undetermined
Λ enters the metric (2.1) and (3.1) as an input. The equations of motion constrain it via eq. (4.233), but the paper does not compute its value from flux and quantum data.

assumptions (6)

domain assumption M-theory quantum corrections can be organized as polynomial functions of G-fluxes, curvatures and derivatives with 1/M_p suppression.
Section 3.2 states this expansion (e.g., eqs. 3.78-3.81), assuming weak curvature and weak flux so that the effective action is a local derivative expansion plus non-local counter-terms.
domain assumption The M-theory interacting vacuum |Ω> exists and the Schwinger-Dyson equations are valid for the background.
Section 2.1 uses coherent states over a solitonic vacuum and assumes the path integral and interacting vacuum exist; this is unproven in full string theory.
domain assumption The type IIB coupling is constant and the axion vanishes; time dependence is traded for the type IIA coupling g_s(t).
Section 3.1 imposes this to keep computations controlled; it is an ansatz, not derived.
domain assumption Classical flux quantization and anomaly cancellation conditions hold in M-theory, as modified in Sections 4.2.1 and 4.2.2.
The G-flux ansatz (3.13) and the quantization/anomaly analysis assume standard M-theory consistency conditions.
standard math The warp factor h(y) is smooth on the compact internal space so the integral of the Laplacian vanishes.
Used in the derivation of eq. (4.122) to set the integral over □h to zero; standard for compact smooth manifolds.
domain assumption At late times (g_s -> 0), non-perturbative terms exp(-1/g_s) can be dropped relative to powers of g_s.
Used throughout Section 3 to justify truncating the series; standard in weak-coupling expansions.

how reviews work

0 comments

Cite this review

Pith. "Pith review of de Sitter Vacua in the String Landscape." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/VW36RDQ6

@misc{pith2026190805288,
  author       = {Pith},
  title        = {Pith review of: de Sitter Vacua in the String Landscape},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/VW36RDQ6}},
  note         = {Machine review of arXiv:1908.05288}
}

read the original abstract

The late-time behavior of our universe is one of accelerated expansion, or that of a de Sitter space, and therefore motivates us to look for time-dependent backgrounds. Finding such backgrounds in string theory has always been a challenging problem. An even harder problem is to find time-dependent backgrounds that allow positive dark energies. As a first step to handle such scenarios, we study a time-dependent background in type IIB theory, with four-dimensional de Sitter isometries, by uplifting it to M-theory and then realizing it as a coherent, or squeezed-coherent, state over an appropriate solitonic configuration. While classically such a background does not solve the equations of motion, the corresponding Schwinger-Dyson equations reveal that there are deeper issues that may even prohibit a solution to exist at the quantum level, as long as the internal space remains time-independent. A more generic analysis is then called for, where both the effective four-dimensional space-time, the internal space, and the background fluxes are all time-dependent. We study in details such a background by including perturbative and non-perturbative as well as local and non-local quantum terms. Our analysis reveals a distinct possibility of the emergence of a four-dimensional positive curvature space-time with de Sitter isometries and time-independent Newton's constant in the landscape of type IIB string theory. We argue how the no-go and the swampland criteria are avoided in generating such a background, and compare it with other possibilities involving backgrounds with time-dependent Newton constants. These time-varying Newton constant backgrounds typically lead to unavoidable late time singularities, amongst other issues.

Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.

Forward citations

Cited by 3 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score. Full citation record

Perturbative K\"ahler Moduli Inflation
hep-th 2025-06 reject novelty 6.0 of 10

Two classes of slow-roll inflation potentials, V0(1+C1 φ^(2/3)) and V0(1-C2 φ^(-2/3)), are derived from perturbative Kähler moduli stabilization and give r below 10^-2 and 10^-8.
Coherent states versus Glauber-Sudarshan States: Bootstrapping, Schwinger-Keldysh Contours and Lefschetz Thimbles
hep-th 2026-07 conditional novelty 5.0 of 10

Quasi-de Sitter spacetimes can be realized as Glauber-Sudarshan excited states built over supersymmetric Minkowski vacua, held consistent by a bootstrap self-consistency equation rather than by a potential minimum.
Wheeler-De Witt equation and the Canonical Construction of the Glauber-Sudarshan States in Quantum Gravity
hep-th 2024-11 reject novelty 4.0 of 10

Backreaction of Glauber-Sudarshan states is claimed to convert a supersymmetric Minkowski vacuum into a transient de Sitter phase, with a positive cosmological constant emerging from Borel resummation.

Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

51 extracted references · 17 canonical work pages · cited by 3 Pith papers

[1]

De Sitter vac ua in string theory,

S. Kachru, R. Kallosh, A. D. Linde and S. P. Trivedi, “De Sitter vac ua in string theory,” Phys. Rev. D 68, 046005 (2003) [hep-th/0301240]. 113Some recent works on generating de Sitter using diﬀerent tec hniques than what we used here are in [51]. It might be interesting to compare our results with tho se of [51]. – 182 –

arXiv 2003
[2]

Anti-D3's - Singular to the Bitter End

I. Bena, M. Grana, S. Kuperstein and S. Massai, “Anti-D3 Brane s: Singular to the bitter end,” Phys. Rev. D 87, no. 10, 106010 (2013) [arXiv:1206.6369 [hep-th]]; “Polchinski-Stra ssler does not uplift Klebanov-Strassler,” JHEP 1309, 142 (2013) [arXiv:1212.4828 [hep-th]]

work page Pith review arXiv 2013
[3]

Toward de Sitter space from ten dimensions,

J. Moritz, A. Retolaza and A. Westphal, “Toward de Sitter space from ten dimensions,” Phys. Rev. D 97, no. 4, 046010 (2018) [arXiv:1707.08678 [hep-th]]; “On uplifts by war ped anti-D3 branes,” Fortsch. Phys. 67, no. 1-2, 1800098 (2019) [arXiv:1809.06618 [hep-th]]; F. Carta, J. Moritz and A. Westphal, “Gaugino condensation and sm all uplifts in KKLT,” arXi...

arXiv 2018
[4]

D3 and dS,

E. A. Bergshoeﬀ, K. Dasgupta, R. Kallosh, A. Van Proeyen and T . Wrase, “ D3 and dS,” JHEP 1505, 058 (2015) [arXiv:1502.07627 [hep-th]]; E. McDonough and M. Scalisi, “Inﬂation from Nilpotent K¨ ahler Corrections,” JCAP 1611, no. 11, 028 (2016) [arXiv:1609.00364 [hep-th]]; Y. Akrami, R. Kallosh, A. Linde and V. Vard anyan, “The Landscape, the Swampland and...

arXiv 2015
[5]

What if string theory has no de S itter vacua?,

U. H. Danielsson and T. Van Riet, “What if string theory has no de S itter vacua?,” Int. J. Mod. Phys. D 27, no. 12, 1830007 (2018) [arXiv:1804.01120 [hep-th]]; U. Danielsson, “The quantum swampland,” JHEP 1904, 095 (2019) [arXiv:1809.04512 [hep-th]]; S. Banerjee, U. Danielsson, G. Dibitetto, S. Giri and M. Schillo, “Emergent de Sitte r Cosmology from Dec...

arXiv 2018
[6]

De Sitter Space and the Swampland,

G. Obied, H. Ooguri, L. Spodyneiko and C. Vafa, “De Sitter Space and the Swampland,” arXiv:1806.08362 [hep-th]

arXiv
[7]

On the Cosm ological Implications of the String Swampland,

P. Agrawal, G. Obied, P. J. Steinhardt and C. Vafa, “On the Cosm ological Implications of the String Swampland,” Phys. Lett. B 784, 271 (2018) [arXiv:1806.09718 [hep-th]]

arXiv 2018
[8]

Distance and de Sitter Co njectures on the Swampland,

H. Ooguri, E. Palti, G. Shiu and C. Vafa, “Distance and de Sitter Co njectures on the Swampland,” Phys. Lett. B 788, 180 (2019) [arXiv:1810.05506 [hep-th]]

arXiv 2019

Show all 51 references

[9]

The String Landscape, t he Swampland, and the Missing Corner,

T. D. Brennan, F. Carta and C. Vafa, “The String Landscape, t he Swampland, and the Missing Corner,” PoS TASI 2017, 015 (2017) [arXiv:1711.00864 [hep-th]]

2017 arXiv
[10]

On the Geometry of the String Landsc ape and the Swampland,

H. Ooguri and C. Vafa, “On the Geometry of the String Landsc ape and the Swampland,” Nucl. Phys. B 766, 21 (2007) [hep-th/0605264]

2007 arXiv
[11]

On the de Sitter swampland criterion,

D. Andriot, “On the de Sitter swampland criterion,” Phys. Lett. B 785, 570 (2018) [arXiv:1806.10999 [hep-th]]. S. K. Garg and C. Krishnan, “Bounds on Slow Roll and the de Sitter Sw ampland,” arXiv:1807.05193 [hep-th]; “Bounds on Slow Roll at the Boundary of t he Landscape,” JH...

2018 arXiv
[12]

de Sitter Vacua in Type IIB String Theory: Classical Solutions and Quantum Corrections,

K. Dasgupta, R. Gwyn, E. McDonough, M. Mia and R. Tatar, “de Sitter Vacua in Type IIB String Theory: Classical Solutions and Quantum Corrections,” JHEP 1407, 054 (2014) [arXiv:1402.5112 [hep-th]]

2014 arXiv
[13]

Quantum Corrections and the de Sitter Swampland Conjecture,

K. Dasgupta, M. Emelin, E. McDonough and R. Tatar, “Quantum Corrections and the de Sitter Swampland Conjecture,” JHEP 1901, 145 (2019) [arXiv:1808.07498 [hep-th]]

2019 arXiv
[15]

Four-dimensional de S itter space is a Glauber-Sudarshan state in string theory,

S. Brahma, K. Dasgupta and R. Tatar, “Four-dimensional de S itter space is a Glauber-Sudarshan state in string theory,” [arXiv:2007.00786 [hep- th]]; “de Sitter space as a Glauber-Sudarshan state,” [arXiv:2007.11611 [hep-th]]

2007 arXiv
[16]

Hope or no hope for the string landscape?

S. Sethi, “Hope or no hope for the string landscape?” Quantum Theory and Symmetry XI , University of Montreal, July 1-5, 2019

2019
[17]

Five-branes, memb ranes and nonperturbative string theory,

K. Becker, M. Becker and A. Strominger, “Five-branes, memb ranes and nonperturbative string theory,” Nucl. Phys. B 456, 130-152 (1995) [arXiv:hep-th/9507158 [hep-th]]

1995 arXiv
[18]

Thoughts on tachyon cosmology,

G. W. Gibbons, “Thoughts on tachyon cosmology,” Class. Quant . Grav. 20, S321 (2003) [hep-th/0301117]; “Aspects Of Supergravity Theories,” Print-85 -0061 (CAMBRIDGE)

2003 arXiv
[19]

Supergravity description of ﬁe ld theories on curved manifolds and a no go theorem,

J. M. Maldacena and C. Nunez, “Supergravity description of ﬁe ld theories on curved manifolds and a no go theorem,” Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 16, 822 (2001) [hep-th/0007018]

2001 arXiv
[20]

M theory on eight manifolds,

K. Becker and M. Becker, “M theory on eight manifolds,” Nucl. Ph ys. B 477, 155 (1996) [hep-th/9605053]; S. Sethi, C. Vafa and E. Witten, “Constraints o n low dimensional string compactiﬁcations,” Nucl. Phys. B 480, 213 (1996) [hep-th/9606122]; K. Dasgupta and S. Mukhi, “A Not...

1996 arXiv
[21]

M theory, orientifolds a nd G - ﬂux,

K. Dasgupta, G. Rajesh and S. Sethi, “M theory, orientifolds a nd G - ﬂux,” JHEP 9908, 023 (1999) [hep-th/9908088]

1999 arXiv
[22]

Heterotic strings with torsion,

K. Becker and K. Dasgupta, “Heterotic strings with torsion,” J HEP 0211, 006 (2002) [hep-th/0209077]

2002 arXiv
[23]

Classes of AdS 4 type IIA/IIB compactiﬁcations with SU (3) ×SU (3) structure,

D. Lust and D. Tsimpis, “Classes of AdS 4 type IIA/IIB compactiﬁcations with SU (3) ×SU (3) structure,” JHEP 0904, 111 (2009) [arXiv:0901.4474 [hep-th]]; “New supersymmetric AdS 4 type II vacua,” JHEP 0909, 098 (2009) [arXiv:0906.2561 [hep-th]]

2009 arXiv
[24]

Constraining de Sitter Space in String Theory,

D. Kutasov, T. Maxﬁeld, I. Melnikov and S. Sethi, “Constraining de Sitter Space in String Theory,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, no. 7, 071305 (2015) [arXiv:1504.00056 [hep-th]]

2015 arXiv
[25]

Constrain ts on String Cosmology,

S. R. Green, E. J. Martinec, C. Quigley and S. Sethi, “Constrain ts on String Cosmology,” Class. Quant. Grav. 29, 075006 (2012) [arXiv:1110.0545 [hep-th]]

2012 arXiv
[26]

Revisiting constraints on uplifts to de Sitter vacua,

N. Cabo Bizet and S. Hirano, “Revisiting constraints on uplifts to de Sitter vacua,” arXiv:1607.01139 [hep-th]

arXiv
[27]

Supersymmetry Breaking by Fluxes

S. Sethi, “Supersymmetry Breaking by Fluxes”, JHEP 1810, 022 (2018), arXiv:1709.03554 [hep-th]

2018 arXiv
[28]

Quantum gravity in de Sitter space,

E. Witten, “Quantum gravity in de Sitter space,” hep-th/01061 09
[29]

Is stringy supersymmetry quintessentially c hallenged?,

S. J. Gates, Jr., “Is stringy supersymmetry quintessentially c hallenged?,” hep-th/0202112

arXiv
[30]

Factorization and polariza tion in linearized gravity,

S. Y. Choi, J. S. Shim and H. S. Song, “Factorization and polariza tion in linearized gravity,” Phys. Rev. D 51, 2751 (1995) [hep-th/9411092]

1995 arXiv
[31]

P inned branes and new non-Lorentz invariant theories,

S. Chakravarty, K. Dasgupta, O. J. Ganor and G. Rajesh, “P inned branes and new non-Lorentz invariant theories,” Nucl. Phys. B 587, 228 (2000) [hep-th/0002175]; K. Dasgupta, O. J. Ganor and G. Rajesh, “Vector deformations o f N=4 superYang-Mills theory, pinned branes, and arch...

2000 arXiv
[32]

Geometrical theorems on Einstein’s cosmological e quations,

E. Kasner, “Geometrical theorems on Einstein’s cosmological e quations,” Am. J. Math. 43, 217 (1921)

1921
[33]

The Initial State of a Prim ordial Anisotropic Stage of Inﬂation,

J. J. Blanco-Pillado and M. Minamitsuji, “The Initial State of a Prim ordial Anisotropic Stage of Inﬂation,” JCAP 1506, no. 06, 024 (2015) [arXiv:1501.07427 [hep-th]]

2015 arXiv
[34]

Late-time Cosmic Acceleratio n from Compactiﬁcation,

J. G. Russo and P. K. Townsend, “Late-time Cosmic Acceleratio n from Compactiﬁcation,” Class. Quant. Grav. 36, no. 9, 095008 (2019) arXiv:1811.03660 [hep-th]; “Time-dependen t compactiﬁcation to de Sitter space: a no-go theorem,” JHEP 1906, 097 (2019) [arXiv:1904.11967 [hep-th]]

2019 arXiv
[35]

F theory and orientifolds,

A. Sen, “F theory and orientifolds,” Nucl. Phys. B 475, 562 (1996) [hep-th/9605150]; K. Dasgupta and S. Mukhi, “F theory at constant coupling,” Phys. L ett. B 385, 125 (1996) [hep-th/9606044]

1996 arXiv
[36]

How a four- dimensional de Sitter solution remains outside the swampland,

K. Dasgupta, M. Emelin, M. M. Faruk and R. Tatar, “How a four- dimensional de Sitter solution remains outside the swampland,” arXiv:1911.02604 [hep-th]; “ de Sitter Vacua in the String landscape: La Petite Version,” arXiv:1911.12382 [hep-th]

1911 arXiv
[37]

Unwinding strings a nd T duality of Kaluza-Klein and H monopoles,

R. Gregory, J. A. Harvey and G. W. Moore, “Unwinding strings a nd T duality of Kaluza-Klein and H monopoles,” Adv. Theor. Math. Phys. 1, 283 (1997) [hep-th/9708086]

1997 arXiv
[38]

Superstring Modiﬁcations of Einste in’s Equations,

D. J. Gross and E. Witten, “Superstring Modiﬁcations of Einste in’s Equations,” Nucl. Phys. B 277, 1 (1986); D. J. Gross and J. H. Sloan, “The Quartic Eﬀective Actio n for the Heterotic String,” Nucl. Phys. B 291, 41 (1987); M. T. Grisaru and D. Zanon, “ σ Model Superstring Co...

1986 arXiv
[39]

Why matrix theory is hard,

M. R. Douglas and H. Ooguri, “Why matrix theory is hard,” Phys. L ett. B 425, 71 (1998) [hep-th/9710178]; G. Calcagni and L. Modesto, “Nonlocal quantu m gravity and M-theory,” Phys. Rev. D 91, no. 12, 124059 (2015) [arXiv:1404.2137 [hep-th]]

1998 arXiv
[40]

Eﬀective Theories as Truncated Trans-Series and S cale Separated Compactiﬁcations,

M. Emelin, “Eﬀective Theories as Truncated Trans-Series and S cale Separated Compactiﬁcations,” [arXiv:2005.11421 [hep-th]]

2005 arXiv
[41]

Constraints and Horiz ons for de Sitter with Extra Dimensions,

S. Das, S. S. Haque and B. Underwood, “Constraints and Horiz ons for de Sitter with Extra Dimensions,” arXiv:1905.05864 [hep-th]

1905 arXiv
[42]

Magnetic Monopoles as Gauge Part icles?,

C. Montonen and D. I. Olive, “Magnetic Monopoles as Gauge Part icles?,” Phys. Lett. 72B, 117 (1977)

1977
[43]

On ﬂux quantization in M theory and the eﬀective act ion,

E. Witten, “On ﬂux quantization in M theory and the eﬀective act ion,” J. Geom. Phys. 22, 1 (1997) [hep-th/9609122]

1997 arXiv
[44]

de Sitter space as a Glauber-Sudarshan state: II

H. Bernardo, S. Brahma, K. Dasgupta, M.M. Faruk, and R. Tat ar, “de Sitter space as a Glauber-Sudarshan state: II” to appear. – 186 –
[45]

D3 / D7 inﬂa tionary model and M theory,

K. Dasgupta, C. Herdeiro, S. Hirano and R. Kallosh, “D3 / D7 inﬂa tionary model and M theory,” Phys. Rev. D 65, 126002 (2002) [hep-th/0203019]; P. Chen, K. Dasgupta, K. Narayan, M. Shmakova and M. Zagermann, “Brane inﬂation, solit ons and cosmological solutions: 1.,” JHEP 0509...

2002 arXiv
[46]

Towards inﬂation in string theory,

S. Kachru, R. Kallosh, A. D. Linde, J. M. Maldacena, L. P. McAllist er and S. P. Trivedi, “Towards inﬂation in string theory,” JCAP 10, 013 (2003) [arXiv:hep-th/0308055 [hep-th]]

2003 arXiv
[47]

Black Hole’s Quantum N-Portrait,

G. Dvali and C. Gomez, “Black Hole’s Quantum N-Portrait,” Forts ch. Phys. 61, 742-767 (2013) [arXiv:1112.3359 [hep-th]]; “Quantum Compositeness of Grav ity: Black Holes, AdS and Inﬂation,” JCAP 01, 023 (2014) [arXiv:1312.4795 [hep-th]]; G. Dvali, C. Gomez, R. S. Isermann, D. L...

2013 arXiv
[48]

CFT’s from Calabi-Yau four fo lds,

S. Gukov, C. Vafa and E. Witten, “CFT’s from Calabi-Yau four fo lds,” Nucl. Phys. B 584, 69 (2000) Erratum: [Nucl. Phys. B 608, 477 (2001)] [hep-th/9906070]

2000 arXiv
[49]

Hierarchies from ﬂu xes in string compactiﬁcations,

S. B. Giddings, S. Kachru and J. Polchinski, “Hierarchies from ﬂu xes in string compactiﬁcations,” Phys. Rev. D 66, 106006 (2002) [hep-th/0105097]

2002 arXiv
[50]

Fixing all moduli in a simple F-theory compactiﬁcation,

F. Denef, M. R. Douglas, B. Florea, A. Grassi and S. Kachru, “ Fixing all moduli in a simple F-theory compactiﬁcation,” Adv. Theor. Math. Phys. 9, no. 6, 861 (2005) [hep-th/0503124]

2005 arXiv
[51]

F-theory and Dark Energy,

J. J. Heckman, C. Lawrie, L. Lin and G. Zoccarato, “F-theory and Dark Energy,” arXiv:1811.01959 [hep-th]; J. J. Heckman, C. Lawrie, L. Lin, J. Saks tein and G. Zoccarato, “Pixelated Dark Energy,” arXiv:1901.10489 [hep-th]; O. Hohm and B. Z wiebach, “Non-perturbative de Sitter ...

2019 arXiv
[52]

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hvadxy7jn29cx8l/AACclqm-G- hndl7P0qlRlwsKa?dl=0 – 187 –

Pith tools

Reviewed August 14, 2026 · model on record in the stance chip above.

[1] [1]

De Sitter vac ua in string theory,

S. Kachru, R. Kallosh, A. D. Linde and S. P. Trivedi, “De Sitter vac ua in string theory,” Phys. Rev. D 68, 046005 (2003) [hep-th/0301240]. 113Some recent works on generating de Sitter using diﬀerent tec hniques than what we used here are in [51]. It might be interesting to compare our results with tho se of [51]. – 182 –

arXiv 2003

[2] [2]

Anti-D3's - Singular to the Bitter End

I. Bena, M. Grana, S. Kuperstein and S. Massai, “Anti-D3 Brane s: Singular to the bitter end,” Phys. Rev. D 87, no. 10, 106010 (2013) [arXiv:1206.6369 [hep-th]]; “Polchinski-Stra ssler does not uplift Klebanov-Strassler,” JHEP 1309, 142 (2013) [arXiv:1212.4828 [hep-th]]

work page Pith review arXiv 2013

[3] [3]

Toward de Sitter space from ten dimensions,

J. Moritz, A. Retolaza and A. Westphal, “Toward de Sitter space from ten dimensions,” Phys. Rev. D 97, no. 4, 046010 (2018) [arXiv:1707.08678 [hep-th]]; “On uplifts by war ped anti-D3 branes,” Fortsch. Phys. 67, no. 1-2, 1800098 (2019) [arXiv:1809.06618 [hep-th]]; F. Carta, J. Moritz and A. Westphal, “Gaugino condensation and sm all uplifts in KKLT,” arXi...

arXiv 2018

[4] [4]

D3 and dS,

E. A. Bergshoeﬀ, K. Dasgupta, R. Kallosh, A. Van Proeyen and T . Wrase, “ D3 and dS,” JHEP 1505, 058 (2015) [arXiv:1502.07627 [hep-th]]; E. McDonough and M. Scalisi, “Inﬂation from Nilpotent K¨ ahler Corrections,” JCAP 1611, no. 11, 028 (2016) [arXiv:1609.00364 [hep-th]]; Y. Akrami, R. Kallosh, A. Linde and V. Vard anyan, “The Landscape, the Swampland and...

arXiv 2015

[5] [5]

What if string theory has no de S itter vacua?,

U. H. Danielsson and T. Van Riet, “What if string theory has no de S itter vacua?,” Int. J. Mod. Phys. D 27, no. 12, 1830007 (2018) [arXiv:1804.01120 [hep-th]]; U. Danielsson, “The quantum swampland,” JHEP 1904, 095 (2019) [arXiv:1809.04512 [hep-th]]; S. Banerjee, U. Danielsson, G. Dibitetto, S. Giri and M. Schillo, “Emergent de Sitte r Cosmology from Dec...

arXiv 2018

[6] [6]

De Sitter Space and the Swampland,

G. Obied, H. Ooguri, L. Spodyneiko and C. Vafa, “De Sitter Space and the Swampland,” arXiv:1806.08362 [hep-th]

arXiv

[7] [7]

On the Cosm ological Implications of the String Swampland,

P. Agrawal, G. Obied, P. J. Steinhardt and C. Vafa, “On the Cosm ological Implications of the String Swampland,” Phys. Lett. B 784, 271 (2018) [arXiv:1806.09718 [hep-th]]

arXiv 2018

[8] [8]

Distance and de Sitter Co njectures on the Swampland,

H. Ooguri, E. Palti, G. Shiu and C. Vafa, “Distance and de Sitter Co njectures on the Swampland,” Phys. Lett. B 788, 180 (2019) [arXiv:1810.05506 [hep-th]]

arXiv 2019