Accelerating Cosmologies and a Phase Transition in M-Theory

TL;DR

This paper explores how M-theory compactifications can lead to accelerated cosmological expansion through scalar fields and phase transitions, providing a potential model for early universe acceleration.

Contribution

It demonstrates that time-dependent compactifications in M-theory can produce accelerated expansion by violating energy conditions and undergoing phase transitions in form fields.

Findings

Accelerated expansion achieved via scalar fields in M-theory compactifications.

Phase transition in three-form potential causes rapid scale factor increase.

Smooth switching of form fields correlates with acceleration periods.

Abstract

M-theory compactifies on a seven-dimensional time-dependent hyperbolic or flat space to a four-dimensional FLRW cosmology undergoing a period of accelerated expansion in Einstein conformal frame. The strong energy condition is violated by the scalar fields produced in the compactification, as is necessary to evade the no-go theorem for time-independent compactifications. The four-form field strength of eleven-dimensional supergravity smoothly switches on during the period of accelerated expansion in hyperbolic compactifications, whereas in flat compactifications, the three-form potential smoothly changes its sign. For small acceleration times, this behaviour is like a phase transition of the three-form potential, during which the cosmological scale factor approximately doubles.