Dense geodesics, tower alignment, and the Sharpened Distance Conjecture
Muldrow Etheredge
Abstract
A bstract The Sharpened Distance Conjecture and Tower Scalar Weak Gravity Conjecture are closely related but distinct conjectures, neither one implying the other. Motivated by examples, I propose that both are consequences of two new conjectures: 1. The infinite distance geodesics passing through an arbitrary point ϕ in the moduli space populate a dense set of directions in the tangent space at ϕ . 2. Along any infinite distance geodesic, there exists a tower of particles whose scalar-charge-to-mass ratio (–∇log m ) projection everywhere along the geodesic is greater than or equal to $$ 1/\sqrt{d-2} $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> <mml:msqrt> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>d</mml:mi> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msqrt> </mml:math> . I perform several nontrivial tests of these new conjectures in maximal and half-maximal supergravity examples. I also use the Tower Scalar Weak Gravity Conjecture to conjecture a sharp bound on exponentially heavy towers that accompany infinite distance limits.