Warped Tachyonic Inflation in Type IIB Flux Compactifications and the Open-String Completeness Conjecture

TL;DR

This paper explores a string theory-based inflation model driven by open string tachyons within the KKLT framework, analyzing conditions for successful inflation, stability, and initial conditions consistent with the open-string completeness conjecture.

Contribution

It proposes a novel inflation scenario driven by open string tachyons in flux compactifications, incorporating flux-induced warping and initial condition analysis based on the open-string completeness conjecture.

Findings

Flux warping can enable slow-roll inflation in certain Calabi-Yau manifolds.

Conditions for sufficient e-folds and stabilization are identified, with some geometries being more favorable.

Initial conditions can lead to time-symmetric bounce solutions without singularities.

Abstract

We consider a cosmological scenario within the KKLT framework for moduli stabilization in string theory. The universal open string tachyon of decaying non-BPS D-brane configurations is proposed to drive eternal topological inflation. Flux-induced `warping' can provide the small slow-roll parameters needed for successful inflation. Constraints on the parameter space leading to sufficient number of e-folds, exit from inflation, density perturbations and stabilization of the Kahler modulus are investigated. The conditions are difficult to satisfy in Klebanov-Strassler throats but can be satisfied in T^3 fibrations and other generic Calabi-Yau manifolds. This requires large volume and magnetic fluxes on the D-brane. The end of inflation may or may not lead to cosmic strings depending on the original non-BPS configuration. A careful investigation of initial conditions leading to a phenomenologically viable model for inflation is carried out. The initial conditions are chosen on the basis of Sen's open string completeness conjecture. We find time symmetrical bounce solutions without initial singularities for k=1 FRW models which are correlated with an inflationary period. Singular big-bang/big-crunch solutions also exist but do not lead to inflation. There is an intriguing correlation between having an inflationary universe in 4 dimensions and 6 compact dimensions or a big-crunch singularity and decompactification.