Towards the stabilization of extra dimensions by brane dynamics

Abstract

All the models of elementary particles and their interactions derived from String Theory involve a compact six-dimensional internal space. Its volume and shape should be fixed or stabilized, since otherwise massless scalar fields (moduli) reflecting their deformations appear in our four-dimensional space-time, with sizable effects on known particles and fields. We propose a strategy towards stabilizing the compact space without fluxes of three-form fields from closed strings. Our main motivation and goal is to proceed insofar as possible within conventional string world-sheet theory. As we shall see, D-branes with magnetic flux ("magnetized D-branes") and the forces between them can be used to this end. We investigate here some necessary ingredients: open string one-loop vacuum amplitudes between magnetized D-branes, magnetized D-branes fixed at orbifold singularities, and potential energies among such D-branes in the compact space that result from tree-level closed string exchanges.