Spontaneous Physical Compactification of the Extra Dimensions

TL;DR

This paper proposes a mechanism where extra dimensions are initially non-compact at high energies and become compact after symmetry breaking or phase transitions, using a five-dimensional brane model with temperature-dependent potential.

Contribution

It introduces a novel scenario for spontaneous physical compactification of extra dimensions driven by phase transitions and symmetry breaking in a five-dimensional model.

Findings

Extra dimensions can transition from non-compact to compact at low energies.

Temperature-dependent scalar potential facilitates the compactification process.

Spontaneous compactification may occur after symmetry or supersymmetry breaking.

Abstract

We conjecture that the extra dimensions are physical non-compact at high energy scale or high temperature; after the symmetry breaking or cosmological phase transition, the bulk cosmological constant may become negative, and then, the extra dimensions may become physical compact at low energy scale. We show this in a five-dimensional toy brane model with three parallel 3-branes and a real bulk scalar whose potential is temperature dependent. We also point out that after the global or gauge symmetry breaking, or the supersymmetry breaking in supergravity theory, the spontaneous physical compactification of the extra dimensions might be realized.