Natural theory of dark energy

Abstract

We propose a mechanism that generates a naturally light dark energy field (with Hubble-scale mass), starting from a theory with exclusively high-scale (Planckian) couplings. It is derived from the clockwork model, with O(100) scalar fields interacting among themselves, as well as with a 4-form field strength. We explicitly embed the key features of our model in type IIA supergravity. We also give an alternative interpretation in a braneworld setup.