Aether, dark energy and string compactifications.
Published version
Peer-reviewed
Repository URI
Repository DOI
Change log
Authors
Townsend, Paul https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0311-9448
Abstract
The nineteenth-century aether died with special relativity but was resurrected by general relativity in the form of dark energy; a tensile material with tension equal to its energy density. Such a material is provided by the D-branes of string-theory; these can support the fields of supersymmetric particle-physics, although their energy density is cancelled by orientifold singularities upon compactification. Dark energy can still arise from supersymmetry-breaking anti-D-branes but it is probably time-dependent. Recent results on time-dependent compactifications to an FLRW universe with late-time accelerated expansion are reviewed. This article is part of the theme issue 'The future of mathematical cosmology, Volume 2'.
Description
Keywords
ARTICLES, Review articles, aether, branes, dark energy
Journal Title
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
1364-503X
1471-2962
1471-2962
Volume Title
Publisher
The Royal Society
Publisher DOI
Sponsorship
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/P000681/1)