Negative scalar potentials and the swampland: an Anti-Trans-Planckian Censorship Conjecture

Abstract

In this paper, we derive a characterisation of negative scalar potentials, $V<0$, in $d$-dimensional effective theories of quantum gravity. This is achieved thanks to an Anti-Trans-Planckian Censorship Conjecture (ATCC), inspired by a refined version of the TCC. The ATCC relies on the fact that in a contracting universe, modes that become sub-Planckian in length violate the validity of the effective theory. In the asymptotics of field space, we deduce that $-V^{\prime }/V\ge c_0$ when $V^{\prime }\ge 0$. The rate $c_0=2/\sqrt{(d-1)(d-2)}$ is successfully tested in several string compactifications for $d\ge 4$. In addition, a new asymptotic condition, $V^{\prime \prime }/V\ge c_0^2$, is derived. By extrapolation to anti-de Sitter solutions of radius $l$, we infer the existence of a scalar whose mass should obey $m^2{l}^2\lesssim -2$. This property is verified in many supersymmetric examples.

51 pages; v3: minor modifications and additions

References in corpus (32)

• The Swampland: Introduction and Review
• Inflationary Constraints on Type IIA String Theory
• Negative cosmological constant in the dark sector?
• Do cosmological observations allow a negative $\Lambda$?
• Dimensional Reduction and (Anti) de Sitter Bounds
• All homogeneous N=2 M-theory truncations with supersymmetric AdS4 vacua
• Stable non-supersymmetric Anti-de Sitter vacua of massive IIA supergravity
• Open problems on classical de Sitter solutions
• Exploring The Holographic Swampland
• Quintessence and the Swampland: The parametrically controlled regime of moduli space
• No-scale and scale-separated flux vacua from IIA on G2 orientifolds
• Comments on classical AdS flux vacua with scale separation
• Integer Conformal Dimensions for Type IIA Flux Vacua
• Asymptotic Observables and the Swampland
• (Quasi-) de Sitter solutions across dimensions and the TCC bound
• Tachyonic Kaluza-Klein modes and the AdS swampland conjecture
• Swampland Constraints on Neutrino Masses
• Three-dimensional flux vacua from IIB on co-calibrated G2 orientifolds
• Scale-separated AdS${}_3$ vacua from $G_2$-orientifolds using bispinors
• The Holographic Conformal Manifold of 3d $\mathcal{N}=2$ $S$-fold SCFTs
• Charting the landscape of (anti-) de Sitter and Minkowski solutions of 10d supergravities
• Mass spectrum of type IIB flux compactifications -- comments on AdS vacua and conformal dimensions
• Tachyonic de Sitter solutions of 10d type II supergravities
• Non-integer conformal dimensions for type IIA flux vacua
• Cosmological Trans-Planckian Conjectures are not Effective
• Type IIB flux compactifications with $h^{1,1}=0$
• Contracting Cosmologies and the Swampland
• New instabilities for non-supersymmetric AdS${}_4$ orientifold vacua
• New N=1 AdS${}_4$ solutions of type IIB supergravity
• New AdS${}_4$ Vacua in Dyonic ISO(7) Gauged Supergravity
• The robustness of slow contraction and the shape of the scalar field potential
• Observational constraints on anisotropies for bouncing alternatives to inflation

Cited by in corpus (3)

• On Asymptotic Dark Energy in String Theory
• Hitchhiker's Guide to the Swampland: The Cosmologist's Handbook to the string-theoretical Swampland Programme
• Supersymmetric Horizons at the Edge of Effective Field Theory