| Details: |
Recently, it has been conjectured, based on a numerous
results from String Theory, that any consistent theory of quantum
gravity must obey certain constraints known as the "Swampland
conjectures". These have several consequences for low-energy effective
field theories and for their applications to cosmology; most
strikingly, the fact that the de Sitter vacuum is ruled out. In this
talk, we show several examples of consistent cosmological models which
satisfy the swampland conjectures while also being phenomenologically
viable. We also discuss some other obstructions to the Bunch-Davies
vacuum, coming from the Hartle-Hawking wave function, and how they can
possibly be avoided with additional quantum gravity corrections. |