On de Sitter Vacua in Type IIA Orientifold Compactifications

TL;DR

This paper explores how quantum corrections in type IIA string compactifications on Calabi-Yau threefolds can naturally uplift anti-de Sitter vacua to de Sitter vacua, offering a potential mechanism for realistic cosmological models.

Contribution

It demonstrates that perturbative and non-perturbative quantum corrections can generate a positive energy contribution, enabling de Sitter vacua in type IIA orientifold compactifications.

Findings

Membrane instanton effects contribute holomorphically to the superpotential.

Perturbative corrections modify the Kähler potential.

Corrections can uplift AdS vacua to meta-stable dS vacua.

Abstract

This letter discusses the orientifold projection of the quantum corrections to type IIA strings compactified on rigid Calabi-Yau threefolds. It is shown that N=2 membrane instanton effects give a holomorphic contribution to the superpotential, while the perturbative corrections enter into the Kahler potential. At the level of the scalar potential the corrections to the Kahler potential give rise to a positive energy contribution similar to adding anti-D3-branes in the KKLT scenario. This provides a natural mechanism to lift an AdS vacuum to a meta-stable dS vacuum.