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arXiv · 1907.07894

Asymptotic safety, string theory and the weak gravity conjecture

Senarath de Alwis·Astrid Eichhorn·Aaron Held·Jan M. Pawlowski·Marc Schiffer·Fleur Versteegen
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Abstract

We propose a scenario with string theory in the deep ultraviolet, an intermediate asymptotically safe scaling regime for gravity and matter, and the Standard Model in the infrared. This could provide a new perspective to tackle challenges of the two models: For instance, the gravitational Renormalization Group flow could connect a negative microscopic to a positive macroscopic cosmological constant, potentially rendering string theory on an anti-de Sitter background observationally viable. Further, the unitarity of a string-theoretic ultraviolet completion could be inherited by an asymptotically safe fixed point, despite the presence of higher-order interactions. We discuss necessary conditions on the scale of asymptotic safety and the string scale for our scenario to be viable. As a first test, we explore the weak-gravity conjecture in the context of asymptotically safe gravity.

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Senarath de Alwis, Astrid Eichhorn, Aaron Held, Jan M. Pawlowski, Marc Schiffer, Fleur Versteegen. 2019-07-18. Asymptotic safety, string theory and the weak gravity conjecture. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2019.134991

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