Backreaction Issues in Axion Monodromy and Minkowski 4-forms

Abstract

We clarify the differences between the usual Kaloper-Sorbo description of axion monodromy and the effective axionic potential in terms of Minkowski 4-forms derived in string compactifications. The fact that the metric of the 3-form fields coming from string theory is field dependent (unlike in Kaloper-Sorbo) leads to the backreaction issues recently studied in axion monodromy models within string theory. We reanalyse these problems in terms of the 4-forms focusing on the case in which the non-periodic scalars backreact on the Kahler metric of the inflaton reducing the physical field range. In the closed string sector of Type II Calabi-Yau compactifications with fluxes the metric becomes field dependent precisely when $\Delta \varphi \sim M_p$, independently of the choice of fluxes. We propose, however, some counter-examples to this universal behaviour by including open string fields.

31 pages, 1 figure, v2: typos corrected, comments and references added

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