O(16)$\times$O(16) heterotic theory on $AdS_3\times S^3\times T^4$

Abstract

In this paper, we study non-supersymmetric $AdS_{3}\times S^{3}$ vacuua of $O(16)\times O(16)$ heterotic theory on a string scale $T^{4}$ background, which are parameterized by a pair of flux integers. Adding the one-loop scalar potential to the effective theory contributes positively to the cosmological constant, but we find that there is no uplift to de Sitter for any values of the fluxes. We study the fluctuations around these vacua and show that all scalar and tensor modes from the six-dimensional effective theory lie above the Breitenlohner-Freedman bound. The moduli coming from the torus compactification will also be above the bound, at least for a large range of fluxes.