25 Feb 2005 | V. Balasubramanian, P. Berglund, J. P. Conlon and F. Quevedo
The paper investigates the large volume limit of the scalar potential in Calabi-Yau flux compactifications of type IIB string theory. It shows that in general, the potential approaches zero from below as the volume becomes exponentially large, leading to a non-supersymmetric AdS minimum. This minimum is tachyon-free and fixes all Kähler and complex structure moduli. The gravitino mass is independent of the flux discretum, while the ratio of the string scale to the 4d Planck scale is hierarchically small but flux-dependent. α′ corrections play a crucial role in the potential's structure. The paper illustrates these ideas through explicit calculations for a specific Calabi-Yau manifold. The study shows that the potential has a large volume AdS minimum, which is tachyon-free and automatically a minimum of the full potential. The gravitino mass is flux-invariant and the volume modulus is stabilized at exponentially large values. The results suggest that the potential can have vacua at exponentially large volumes, with the gravitino mass being independent of the flux choice. The paper also discusses the implications of these results for the string theory landscape and the potential for realistic models and cosmological inflation.The paper investigates the large volume limit of the scalar potential in Calabi-Yau flux compactifications of type IIB string theory. It shows that in general, the potential approaches zero from below as the volume becomes exponentially large, leading to a non-supersymmetric AdS minimum. This minimum is tachyon-free and fixes all Kähler and complex structure moduli. The gravitino mass is independent of the flux discretum, while the ratio of the string scale to the 4d Planck scale is hierarchically small but flux-dependent. α′ corrections play a crucial role in the potential's structure. The paper illustrates these ideas through explicit calculations for a specific Calabi-Yau manifold. The study shows that the potential has a large volume AdS minimum, which is tachyon-free and automatically a minimum of the full potential. The gravitino mass is flux-invariant and the volume modulus is stabilized at exponentially large values. The results suggest that the potential can have vacua at exponentially large volumes, with the gravitino mass being independent of the flux choice. The paper also discusses the implications of these results for the string theory landscape and the potential for realistic models and cosmological inflation.