Supersymmetric large extra dimensions and the cosmological constant: an update

This article critically reviews the proposal for addressing the cosmological constant problem within the framework of supersymmetric large extra dimensions (SLED), as recently proposed in hep-th/0304256. After a brief restatement of the cosmological constant problem, a short summary of the proposed mechanism is given. The emphasis is on the perspective of the low-energy effective theory in order to see how it addresses the problem of why low-energy particles like the electron do not contribute too large a vacuum energy. This is followed by a discussion of the main objections, which are grouped into the following five topics: (1) Weinberg’s No-Go Theorem. (2) Are hidden tunings of the theory required, and are these stable under renormalization? (3) Why should the mechanism apply only now and not rule out possible earlier epochs of inflationary dynamics? (4) How big are quantum effects, and which are the most dangerous? and (5) Even if successful, can the mechanism be consistent with cosmological or current observational constraints? It is argued that there are plausible reasons why the mechanism can thread the potential objections, but that a definitive proof that it does depends on addressing well-defined technical points. These points include identifying what fixes the size of the extra dimensions, checking how topological obstructions renormalize and performing specific calculations of quantum corrections. More detailed studies of these issues, which are well within reach of our present understanding of extra-dimensional theories, are currently underway. As such, the jury remains out concerning the proposal, although the prospects for acquittal still seem good. (An abridged version of this article appears in the proceedings of SUSY 2003.)