Speaker: Rafael Alvarez-Garcia, Northeastern University, Harvard University
Abstract: Finding de Sitter solutions is a central question in string theory. Among the various approaches, one is to use the Casimir energy from the extra dimensions to support de Sitter critical points. I will discuss upcoming work in which we analyze this for unwarped M-theory compactification on Riemann surfaces, hyperbolic manifolds and Riemann-flat manifolds, and find that such critical points cannot exist under effective field theory control.