Topology from Cosmology

Abstract

We show that cosmological observables can constrain the topology of the compact additional dimensions predicted by string theory. To do this, we develop a general strategy for relating cosmological observables to the microscopic parameters of the potentials and field-dependent kinetic terms of the multiple scalar fields that arise in the low-energy limit of string theory. We apply this formalism to the Large Volume Scenarios in Type IIB flux compactifications where analytical calculations are possible. Our methods generalize to other settings.