Flux Compactification of M-theory, Cosmology and the Standard Model of Elementary Particles

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

Flux Compactification of M-theory, Cosmology and the Standard Model of Elementary Particles PI: Melanie Becker Institution: University of Maryland One of the goals of this proposal is to construct phenomenologically realistic models that can explain the small and positive cosmological constant recorded by the WMAP data, supernova observations and the HST data. Explaining the value of the cosmological constant has been a challenging problem for theoretical physics since ancient times. String theory does now have the basic tools to address this question very precisely as will be suggested in this proposal. With the same precision it is possible to address cosmology, inflation and the structure of our current universe. A crucial ingredient to answer these questions is string theory and M-theory compactifications with non-vanishing fluxes. Several projects will be suggested along this direction. Due to the duality between supergravity and strongly coupled gauge theories, important issues such as confinement in QCD could in principle be naturally described in this context. The proposed work largely explores the 'landscape' of string theory, the space of dynamically interesting string compactifications. This is an area of growing and long-term significance in string theory. The PI explores in this proposal new types of compactifications, namely heterotic M-theory and non-Kahler, whereas most earlier work has focused on the IIB flux models (which the PI also helped pioneer).