Quintessence and Born-Infeld cosmology

Recent observations suggest that the universe is in a state of accelerated cosmic expansion. Herewith we investigate this scenario within the Born-Infeld theory, which has been employed to describe open strings ending on D-branes. A multidimensional model with a topology RxS(3)xS(d), a cosmological constant, dust matter, and gauge fields is considered for that purpose. Two situations are subsequently discussed, according to whether string effects are (i) dominant or (ii) induce perturbations in the gauge field sector. Studying the set of equations governing the cosmological dynamics, we find that Born-Infeld cosmology can be compatible with the presently measured acceleration, together with a compactified internal space. This is shown to depend on the gauge field components in the internal dimensions as well as string modifications to the gauge matter sector. Furthermore, we argue regarding situation (i) that quintessence could constitute a transient stage.