The fate of stringy AdS vacua and the WGC

TL;DR

This paper discusses a strengthened version of the weak gravity conjecture, proposing that non-supersymmetric AdS vacua in quantum gravity are inherently unstable due to perturbative effects involving open and closed strings.

Contribution

It extends the weak gravity conjecture by analyzing the perturbative instabilities of non-supersymmetric AdS vacua, emphasizing the role of open and closed string interactions.

Findings

Non-supersymmetric AdS vacua are unstable in quantum gravity.

Instabilities are perturbative and involve open-closed string interactions.

Supports the stronger weak gravity conjecture with new insights.

Abstract

The authors of arXiv:1610.01533 have recently proposed a stronger version of the weak gravity conjecture (WGC), based on which they concluded that all those non-supersymmetric AdS vacua that can be embedded within a constistent theory of quantum gravity necessarily develop instabilities. In this paper we further elaborate on this proposal by arguing that the aforementioned instabilities have a perturbative nature and arise from the crucial interplay between the closed and the open string sectors of the theory.