Casimir Effect Between World-Branes in Heterotic M-Theory

Michal Fabinger; Petr Horava

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Casimir Effect Between World-Branes in Heterotic M-Theory

Michal Fabinger, Petr Horava

High Energy Physics - Theory · Submitted 9 Feb 2000

abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review

The authors' main claim Finally, we analyze the eventual fate of the configuration, in the semiclassical approximation at large separations: the two ends of the world annihilate by nucleating wormholes between the two boundaries.

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We study a non-supersymmetric $E_8\times\bar E_8$ compactification of M-theory on $S^1/Z_2$, related to the supersymmetric $E_8\times E_8$ theory by a chirality flip at one of the boundaries. This system represents an M-theory analog of the D-brane anti-D-brane systems of string theory. Alternatively, this compactification can be viewed as a model of supersymmetry breaking in the ``brane-world'' approach to phenomenology. We calculate the Casimir energy of the system at large separations, and show that there is an attractive Casimir force between the $E_8$ and $\bar E_8$ boundary. We predict that a tachyonic instability develops at separations of order the Planck scale, and discuss the possibility that the M-theory fivebrane might appear as a topological defect supported by the $E_8\times\bar E_8$ system. Finally, we analyze the eventual fate of the configuration, in the semiclassical approximation at large separations: the two ends of the world annihilate by nucleating wormholes between the two boundaries.

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#	sentence	role	the authors' own work	states the main conclusion	strength
s0	We study a non-supersymmetric $E_8\times\bar E_8$ compactification of M-theory on $S^1/Z_2$, related to the supersymmetric $E_8\times E_8$ theory by a chirality flip at one of the boundaries.	contribution 0.76	0.34	0.03	asserted 0.98
s1	This system represents an M-theory analog of the D-brane anti-D-brane systems of string theory.	interpretation 0.61	0.14	0.04	asserted 1.00
s2	Alternatively, this compactification can be viewed as a model of supersymmetry breaking in the ``brane-world'' approach to phenomenology.	interpretation 0.83	0.14	0.03	hedged possibility 0.59
s3	We calculate the Casimir energy of the system at large separations, and show that there is an attractive Casimir force between the $E_8$ and $\bar E_8$ boundary.	result 0.95	0.97	0.49	asserted 1.00
s4	We predict that a tachyonic instability develops at separations of order the Planck scale, and discuss the possibility that the M-theory fivebrane might appear as a topological defect supported by the $E_8\times\bar E_8$ system.	result 0.72	0.83	0.19	asserted 0.57
s5	Finally, we analyze the eventual fate of the configuration, in the semiclassical approximation at large separations: the two ends of the world annihilate by nucleating wormholes between the two boundaries.	result 0.71	0.92	0.47	asserted 0.98

What kind of paper the classifier reports this is: theoretical result 1.00 · evidence from proof or derivation 1.00.

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Original abstract

We study a non-supersymmetric $E_8\times\bar E_8$ compactification of M-theory on $S^1/Z_2$, related to the supersymmetric $E_8\times E_8$ theory by a chirality flip at one of the boundaries. This system represents an M-theory analog of the D-brane anti-D-brane systems of string theory. Alternatively, this compactification can be viewed as a model of supersymmetry breaking in the ``brane-world'' approach to phenomenology. We calculate the Casimir energy of the system at large separations, and show that there is an attractive Casimir force between the $E_8$ and $\bar E_8$ boundary. We predict that a tachyonic instability develops at separations of order the Planck scale, and discuss the possibility that the M-theory fivebrane might appear as a topological defect supported by the $E_8\times\bar E_8$ system. Finally, we analyze the eventual fate of the configuration, in the semiclassical approximation at large separations: the two ends of the world annihilate by nucleating wormholes between the two boundaries.

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Cited by 13 Pith papers

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

Triples, Fluxes, and Strings
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Compactifications with sixteen supersymmetries have six distinct seven-dimensional components, labelled by a cyclic group, each with a proposed M theory dual on a singular space carrying frozen singularities.
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Hořava-Witten theory on S¹∨S¹ is dual to a type 0B orientifold with SO(16)^4 gauge group, explaining gauge group doubling via the geometry's junction and revealing two variants from E8 wall orientations.
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For maximal supergravity on Riemann-flat Bieberbach manifolds, the Kaluza-Klein spectrum can be reorganized so that all supertraces vanish up to mass power eight, yielding a finite, negative one-loop potential.
An M-theory dS maximum from Casimir energies on Riemann-flat manifolds
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Explicit scale-separated dS5 maximum in M-theory on a 6D Riemann-flat manifold with vacuum energy 10^{-8} in Planck units, obtained via Casimir energies and fluxes.
Eternal Black Holes in AdS
hep-th 2001-06 conditional novelty 7.0 of 10

The maximally extended AdS black hole is dual to two copies of the boundary CFT in the thermofield double entangled state, and summing over geometries restores unitarity.

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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.
Heterotic Ouroboros
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The seven non-supersymmetric heterotic strings are re-derived from M-theory on S^1∨S^1 via an 'ouroboros' type I' configuration whose rules are fitted to reproduce the known spectra; new junctions among the theories a...
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23 arXiv papers cite this in 41 sentences

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Inserting all this information in ([ref]) gives [equation] which matches the value computed by [ref] , upon setting $L = 2 L̃$, where $L̃$ is the length of the interval.

Supersymmetry-breaking compactifications on Riemann-flat manifolds · 1-dimensional orbifolds · 0.99
We will use eq:VC-invariant-subspace to compute the Casimir energy for M-theory on the interval $S^1/_2$ and compare the result with equations (2.12) and (2.13) of [ref] [Equation (2.13) in [ref] is written in terms of the Jacobi theta function $θ_4(0,iτ)$ and only argued to be convergent and positive.

An M-theory dS maximum from Casimir energies on Riemann-flat manifolds · Explict formula for RFM Casimir energy & “Casimir branes” · 1.00
The solution of [ref] involves a $Z_2$ projection, much like the solutions we describe in Sections [ref] and [ref].

Tunneling with negative tension · Relation to Witten's “bubble of nothing" · 0.85

Cites it as support 1 paper

This is also supported by the fact that the tachyons in the bifundamental, which stretch from one boundary to the other, are generically massive for large interval size, but become tachyonic when the interval size becomes very small, signaling the instability against brane-antibrane annihilation; this dovetails the discussion of the instability of the compactification of M-theory on the interval with oppositely oriented boundaries [ref] .

Ho\v{r}ava-Witten theory on ${\mathbf{S}}^1\vee{\mathbf{S}}^1$ as type 0 orientifold · The Hořava-Witten and Fabinger-Hořava configurations · 0.97

Cites it as background 9 papers

Although this effect is well understood [ref] and has been explored in a variety of settings—including semiclassical bouncing cosmologies [ref] and higher-dimensional theories, where Casimir energies influence moduli or brane dynamics [ref] —its role as a direct imprint of non-trivial spatial topology in the early Universe has remained unexplored.

Quantum Signatures of Cosmic Topology: How Casimir Backreaction Transmits Isotropy Violation · Introduction · 0.89
The string [ref] , like all perturbative heterotic string theories, is described in (super)conformal gauge as a (0,1) superconformal field theory (SCFT).

A stable vacuum of the tachyonic E8 string · Review of the unstable $E_8$ string in 10 dimensions · 0.99
While much effort has been done in the past years in finding explicit BoN constructions [ref] (see also [ref] for related problems and techniques), most of the solutions feature relatively simple topologies along the bordism direction.

Morse-Bott inequalities, Topology Change and Cobordisms to Nothing · Bubbles of Nothing · 0.93

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