Dynamical Conifold Transitions and Moduli Trapping in M-Theory Cosmology

TL;DR

This paper investigates how conifold transitions occur dynamically in M-theory cosmology, showing that moduli can either transition or become trapped near the conifold point due to scalar potential and Hubble friction effects.

Contribution

It demonstrates that conifold transitions can be realized dynamically in M-theory cosmology and analyzes the conditions leading to moduli trapping near the conifold locus.

Findings

Conifold transitions can occur dynamically in five-dimensional Kasner cosmologies.

Most solutions result in moduli trapping near the conifold point.

The dynamics depend only on the overall shape of the scalar potential.

Abstract

We study five-dimensional Kasner cosmologies in the vicinity of a conifold locus occurring in a time-dependent Calabi-Yau compactification of M-theory. The dynamics of M2-brane winding modes, which become light in this region, is taken into account using a suitable gauged supergravity action. We find cosmological solutions which interpolate between the two branches of the transition, establishing that conifold transitions can be realized dynamically. However, generic solutions do not correspond to transitions, but to the moduli getting trapped close to the conifold locus. This effect results from an interplay between the scalar potential and Hubble friction. We show that the dynamics does not depend on the details of the potential, but only on its overall shape.