Implications of a dilaton in gauge theory and cosmology

TL;DR

This paper explores the theoretical and cosmological implications of a light dilaton, including its dynamics, stabilization, and effects on gauge interactions and cosmology, with potential impacts on fundamental physics and early universe models.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of dilaton stabilization, generalized Coulomb potentials, and cosmological effects, integrating non-perturbative effects and dualities in gauge and gravity theories.

Findings

Derivation of generalized Coulomb potentials with a dilaton

Proposal of a dilaton potential induced by instanton effects

Discussion of cosmological implications of a light dilaton

Abstract

After a review of theoretical motivations to consider theories with direct couplings of scalar fields to Ricci and gauge curvature terms, we consider the dynamics and non-perturbative stabilization of a dilaton in three and in four dimensions. In particular, we derive generalized Coulomb potentials in the presence of a dilaton and discuss a low energy effective dilaton potential induced by instanton effects and the S--dual coupling to axions. We conclude with a discussion of cosmological implications of a light dilaton.