Accelerating cosmologies and a phase transition in M-theory

M-theory compactifies on a seven-dimensional time-dependent hyperbolic or flat space to a four-dimensional FLRW cosmology undergoing a period of accelerated expansion in Einstein conformal frame. The strong energy condition is violated by the scalar fields produced in the compactification, as is necessary to evade the no-go theorem for time-independent compactifications. The four-form field strength of eleven-dimensional supergravity smoothly switches on during the period of accelerated expansion in hyperbolic compactifications, whereas in flat compactifications, the three-form potential smoothly changes its sign. For small acceleration times, this behaviour is like a phase transition of the three-form potential, during which the cosmological scale factor approximately doubles. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.