Warping the Weak Gravity Conjecture
The Weak Gravity Conjecture, if valid, rules out simple models of Natural Inflation by restricting their axion decay constant to be sub-Planckian. We revisit stringy attempts to realise Natural Inflation, with a single open string axionic inflaton from a probe D-brane in a warped throat. We show tha...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2016-08-01
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| Series: | Physics Letters B |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269316302374 |
| _version_ | 1811276950882222080 |
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| author | Karta Kooner Susha Parameswaran Ivonne Zavala |
| author_facet | Karta Kooner Susha Parameswaran Ivonne Zavala |
| author_sort | Karta Kooner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Weak Gravity Conjecture, if valid, rules out simple models of Natural Inflation by restricting their axion decay constant to be sub-Planckian. We revisit stringy attempts to realise Natural Inflation, with a single open string axionic inflaton from a probe D-brane in a warped throat. We show that warped geometries can allow the requisite super-Planckian axion decay constant to be achieved, within the supergravity approximation and consistently with the Weak Gravity Conjecture. Preliminary estimates of the brane backreaction suggest that the probe approximation may be under control. However, there is a tension between large axion decay constant and high string scale, where the requisite high string scale is difficult to achieve in all attempts to realise large field inflation using perturbative string theory. We comment on the Generalized Weak Gravity Conjecture in the light of our results. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T00:06:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-79b9471035d4443aa3abba4b5fc1df07 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0370-2693 1873-2445 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T00:06:57Z |
| publishDate | 2016-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Physics Letters B |
| spelling | doaj.art-79b9471035d4443aa3abba4b5fc1df072022-12-22T03:11:12ZengElsevierPhysics Letters B0370-26931873-24452016-08-01759C40240910.1016/j.physletb.2016.05.082Warping the Weak Gravity ConjectureKarta Kooner0Susha Parameswaran1Ivonne Zavala2Department of Physics, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UKDepartment of Mathematical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Mathematical Sciences Building Liverpool, L69 7ZL, UKDepartment of Physics, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UKThe Weak Gravity Conjecture, if valid, rules out simple models of Natural Inflation by restricting their axion decay constant to be sub-Planckian. We revisit stringy attempts to realise Natural Inflation, with a single open string axionic inflaton from a probe D-brane in a warped throat. We show that warped geometries can allow the requisite super-Planckian axion decay constant to be achieved, within the supergravity approximation and consistently with the Weak Gravity Conjecture. Preliminary estimates of the brane backreaction suggest that the probe approximation may be under control. However, there is a tension between large axion decay constant and high string scale, where the requisite high string scale is difficult to achieve in all attempts to realise large field inflation using perturbative string theory. We comment on the Generalized Weak Gravity Conjecture in the light of our results.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269316302374String theoryCosmologyInflationD-branesWarped geometriesLarge axion decay constants |
| spellingShingle | Karta Kooner Susha Parameswaran Ivonne Zavala Warping the Weak Gravity Conjecture Physics Letters B String theory Cosmology Inflation D-branes Warped geometries Large axion decay constants |
| title | Warping the Weak Gravity Conjecture |
| title_full | Warping the Weak Gravity Conjecture |
| title_fullStr | Warping the Weak Gravity Conjecture |
| title_full_unstemmed | Warping the Weak Gravity Conjecture |
| title_short | Warping the Weak Gravity Conjecture |
| title_sort | warping the weak gravity conjecture |
| topic | String theory Cosmology Inflation D-branes Warped geometries Large axion decay constants |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269316302374 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kartakooner warpingtheweakgravityconjecture AT sushaparameswaran warpingtheweakgravityconjecture AT ivonnezavala warpingtheweakgravityconjecture |