Obstacles to constructing de Sitter space in string theory

• Main Authors: Michael Dine, Jamie A. P. Law-Smith, Shijun Sun, Duncan Wood, Yan Yu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SpringerOpen 2021-02-01
• Series: Journal of High Energy Physics
• Subjects: Classical Theories of Gravity; Spacetime Singularities; Superstring Vacua
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP02(2021)050

Abstract There have been many attempts to construct de Sitter space-times in string theory. While arguably there have been some successes, this has proven challenging, leading to the de Sitter swampland conjecture: quantum theories of gravity do not admit stable or metastable de Sitter space. Here we explain that, within controlled approximations, one lacks the tools to construct de Sitter space in string theory. Such approximations would require the existence of a set of (arbitrarily) small parameters, subject to severe constraints. But beyond this one also needs an understanding of big-bang and big-crunch singularities that is not currently accessible to standard approximations in string theory. The existence or non-existence of metastable de Sitter space in string theory remains a matter of conjecture.