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In this book we study the problem of moduli
stabilisation in a cosmological context of string
theory. Motivated by the moduli stabilisation
problem, we introduce for the first time chameleon
fields, so named because their masses and values
depend sensitively on the local matter density. We
show that such fields can evade all local tests of
the equivalence principle and we make predictions for
near-future tests of gravity in space while driving
the current phase of cosmic accelerated expansion. We
then study string corrections to racetrack inflation,
a proposal for inflationary dynamics in the context
of flux compactifications. Finally, we study a
truncated low energy effective action that models the
neighbourhood of special points in moduli space, such
as conifold points, where extra massless degrees of
freedom arise. We study moduli dynamics and
stabilisation in this context in a cosmological
background and find surprising variety in field
dynamics including the appearance of chaos. The chaos
aids in our understanding of the behaviour of moduli
near these special points. In particular we find a
viable mechanism for trapping some of the moduli near
these points.
About the author
Dr. Weltman, daughter of Ivan and Sheina Weltman, grew up in
Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. In 2007 she completed
her PhD at Columbia University under the supervision of Professor
Brian Greene. After a postdoc at Cambridge University, she is
currently faculty at the University of Cape Town, where she
completed her undergraduate studies.
