Published May 1, 2021 | Version v1
Journal article

The String Theory Swampland in the Euclid, Square Kilometer Array, and Vera Rubin Observatory Era

  • 1. Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et de Cosmologie, Université Grenoble-Alpes, CNRS/IN2P3 53, avenue des Martyrs, F-38026 Grenoble cedex (France)

Description

This article aims to draw the attention of astronomers to the ability of future cosmological surveys to put constraints on string theory. The fact that "quantum gravity" might be constrained by large-scale astrophysical observations is a remarkable fact that has recently concentrated a great amount of interest. In this work, we focus on future observatories and investigate their capability to put string theory, which is sometimes said to be "unfalsifiable," under serious pressure. We show that the combined analysis of the Square Kilometer Array, Euclid, and the Vera Rubin observatory—together with Planck results—could substantially improve the current limits on the relevant string swampland parameter. In particular, our analysis leads to a nearly model-independent prospective upper bound on the quintessence potential, | V | / V < 0.16, in strong contradiction of the so-called de Sitter conjecture. Some lines of improvements for the very long run are also drawn, together with generic prospective results, underscoring the efficiency of this approach. The conjectures used in this work are discussed pedagogically, together with the cosmological models chosen in the analysis.

Availability note (English)

Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/abedbe

Additional details

Identifiers

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Astrophysical Journal
Journal Volume
912
Journal Issue
2
Journal Page Range
[15 p.]
ISSN
0004-637X
CODEN
ASJOAB

INIS

Country of Publication
United Kingdom
Country of Input or Organization
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
INIS RN
53073353
Subject category
S79: ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY;
Descriptors DEI
COSMOLOGICAL MODELS; NONLUMINOUS MATTER; QUANTUM GRAVITY; STRING THEORY
Descriptors DEC
FIELD THEORIES; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; MATTER; M-THEORY; QUANTUM FIELD THEORY