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Winding out of the Swamp: Evading the Weak Gravity Conjecture with F-term Winding Inflation?

Arthur Hebecker, Patrick Mangat, Fabrizio Rompineve, Lukas T. Witkowski

TL;DR

This work introduces a string-theoretic model of large-field inflation built from a winding trajectory in the two-axion field space of complex-structure moduli at large complex structure. The winding is enforced by an $F$-term potential from bulk fluxes, yielding a transplanckian effective range while keeping the inflaton potential subdominant and natural inflation-like via small instanton corrections. Moduli stabilisation is handled through the LVS, ensuring the inflaton dynamics do not destabilise Kähler moduli, and the authors argue the setup can evade recent no-go theorems through a mild-WGC loophole. While explicit realizations and full backreaction analyses remain to be worked out, the model provides a concrete pathway to large-field inflation in string theory that is consistent with mild WGC considerations and warrants further examination.

Abstract

We present a new model of large field inflation along a winding trajectory in the field space of two axionic fields, where the 'axions' originate from the complex structure moduli sector of a Calabi-Yau 3-fold at large complex structure. The winding trajectory arises from fixing one combination of axions by bulk fluxes and allows for a transplanckian effective field range. The inflaton potential arises from small 'instantonic' corrections to the geometry and realises natural inflation. By working in a regime of large complex structure for two complex structure moduli the inflaton potential can be made subdominant without severe tuning. We also discuss the impact of the recent 'no-go theorems' for transplanckian axion periodicities on our work. Interestingly, our setup seems to realise a loophole pointed out in arXiv:1503.00795 and arXiv:1503.04783: our construction is a candidate for a string theory model of large field inflation which is consistent with the mild form of the weak gravity conjecture for axions.

Winding out of the Swamp: Evading the Weak Gravity Conjecture with F-term Winding Inflation?

TL;DR

This work introduces a string-theoretic model of large-field inflation built from a winding trajectory in the two-axion field space of complex-structure moduli at large complex structure. The winding is enforced by an -term potential from bulk fluxes, yielding a transplanckian effective range while keeping the inflaton potential subdominant and natural inflation-like via small instanton corrections. Moduli stabilisation is handled through the LVS, ensuring the inflaton dynamics do not destabilise Kähler moduli, and the authors argue the setup can evade recent no-go theorems through a mild-WGC loophole. While explicit realizations and full backreaction analyses remain to be worked out, the model provides a concrete pathway to large-field inflation in string theory that is consistent with mild WGC considerations and warrants further examination.

Abstract

We present a new model of large field inflation along a winding trajectory in the field space of two axionic fields, where the 'axions' originate from the complex structure moduli sector of a Calabi-Yau 3-fold at large complex structure. The winding trajectory arises from fixing one combination of axions by bulk fluxes and allows for a transplanckian effective field range. The inflaton potential arises from small 'instantonic' corrections to the geometry and realises natural inflation. By working in a regime of large complex structure for two complex structure moduli the inflaton potential can be made subdominant without severe tuning. We also discuss the impact of the recent 'no-go theorems' for transplanckian axion periodicities on our work. Interestingly, our setup seems to realise a loophole pointed out in arXiv:1503.00795 and arXiv:1503.04783: our construction is a candidate for a string theory model of large field inflation which is consistent with the mild form of the weak gravity conjecture for axions.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 8 sections, 36 equations, 1 figure.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. The Model
  3. Ingredients
  4. Moduli stabilisation and Scalar potential
  5. Inflaton potential
  6. Compatibility with Kähler Moduli Stabilisation
  7. Relation to No-Go Theorems
  8. Conclusions

Figures (1)

  • Figure 1: Inflaton trajectory in $\textrm{Re}(v)$-$\textrm{Re}(u)$-plane. The winding trajectory is a result of stabilising one direction in $\textrm{Re}(v)$-$\textrm{Re}(u)$-space by an $F$-term potential due to bulk fluxes.