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String cosmology: From the early universe to today
Physics Reports, Volume: 1059, Pages: 1 - 155
Swansea University Author:
Ivonne Zavala Carrasco
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©2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CC BY license.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1016/j.physrep.2024.01.002
Abstract
We review applications of string theory to cosmology, from primordial times to the present-day accelerated expansion. Starting with a brief overview of cosmology and string compactifications, we discuss in detail moduli stabilisation, inflation in string theory, the impact of string theory on post-i...
| Published in: | Physics Reports |
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| ISSN: | 0370-1573 |
| Published: |
Elsevier BV
2024
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66546 |
| Abstract: |
We review applications of string theory to cosmology, from primordial times to the present-day accelerated expansion. Starting with a brief overview of cosmology and string compactifications, we discuss in detail moduli stabilisation, inflation in string theory, the impact of string theory on post-inflationary dynamics (reheating, moduli domination, kination), dark energy (the cosmological constant from a string landscape and models of quintessence) and various alternative scenarios (string/brane gases, the pre big-bang scenario, rolling tachyons, ekpyrotic/cyclic cosmologies, bubbles of nothing, S-brane and holographic cosmologies). The state of the art in string constructions is described in each topic and, where relevant, connections to swampland conjectures are made. The possibilities for novel particles and excitations (axions, moduli, cosmic strings, branes, solitons, oscillons and boson stars) are emphasised. Implications for the physics of the CMB, gravitational waves, dark matter and dark radiation are discussed along with potential observational signatures. |
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| Keywords: |
Early universe cosmology; String theory; Inflation; Dark energy |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
AM is supported in part by the SERB, DST, Government of India by the grant MTR/2019/000267. The work of FQ has been partially supported by STFC, United Kingdom consolidated grants ST/P000681/1, ST/T000694/1. JC has been partially supported by STFC, United Kingdom consolidated grants ST/P000770/1 and ST/T000864/1. IZ is partially funded by STFC, United Kingdom grant ST/T000813/1 and thanks Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio, Bologna, Italy for financial support during her visit to Bologna, where part of this work was developed. For the purpose of open access, the authors have applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising. Data access statement: no new data were generated for this work. |
| Start Page: |
1 |
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155 |