Refining the boundaries of the classical de Sitter landscape

Abstract

Abstract We derive highly constraining no-go theorems for classical de Sitter backgrounds of string theory, with parallel sources; this should impact the embedding of cosmological models. We study ten-dimensional vacua of type II supergravities with parallel and backreacted orientifold O p -planes and D p -branes, on four-dimensional de Sitter spacetime times a compact manifold. Vacua for p = 3, 7 or 8 are completely excluded, and we obtain tight constraints for p = 4, 5, 6. This is achieved through the derivation of an enlightening expression for the four-dimensional Ricci scalar. Further interesting expressions and no-go theorems are obtained. The paper is self-contained so technical aspects, including conventions, might be of more general interest.