Scalar potential from de Sitter brane in 5D and effective cosmological constant

We derive the scalar potential in zero mode effective action arising from a de Sitter brane embedded in five dimensions with bulk cosmological constant Λ. The scalar potential for a scalar field canonically normalized is given by the sum of exponential potentials. In the case of Λ = 0 and Λ > 0, we point out that the scalar potential has an unstable maximum at the origin and exponentially vanishes for large positive scalar field. In the case of Λ < 0, the scalar potential has an unstable maximum at the origin and a local minimum. It is shown that the positive cosmological constant in dS brane is reduced by negative potential energy of scalar at minimum and that effective cosmological constant depends on a dimensionless quantity. Furthermore, we discuss the fate of our universe including the potential energy of the scalar. (author)