Cosmological constant and late transient acceleration of the universe in the Horava-Witten heterotic M-theory on S1/Z2

Orbifold branes are studied in the framework of the 11-dimensional Horava-Witten heterotic M-theory. It is found that the effective cosmological constant can be easily lowered to its current observational value by the mechanism of large extra dimensions. The domination of this constant over the evolution of the universe is only temporary. Due to the interaction of the bulk and the branes, the universe will be in its decelerating expansion phase again in the future, whereby all problems connected with a far future de Sitter universe are resolved. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.