On/off scale separation

TL;DR

This paper investigates the conditions under which scale-separated AdS3 flux vacua in massive type IIA supergravity on G2-orientifolds can transition to non scale-separated configurations, analyzing their properties and implications for the distance conjecture.

Contribution

It demonstrates that scale-separated and non scale-separated vacua can be connected within finite distance, using a D4-brane modulus to facilitate flux jumps and analyze moduli stabilization.

Findings

Scale-separated vacua can be within finite distance from non scale-separated ones.

The transition involves a D4-brane modulus enabling flux jumps.

Explicit tracking of KK mode masses supports the distance conjecture.

Abstract

We discuss minimally supersymmetric AdS$_3$ flux vacua of massive type IIA supergravity on G2-orientifolds. We find that configurations that are scale-separated can be within finite distance from non scale-separated ones, while both remain at large volume, weak coupling and have moduli stabilization. The transition is achieved with the use of a D4-brane modulus, which allows the $F_4$ flux to jump, and has an effective potential always accessible to the three-dimensional low-energy theory. Our analysis further allows us to check the distance conjecture quantitatively, as we can track explicitly the masses of the KK modes.