Curvature-assisted dynamical compactification in a pre-inflationary higher-dimensional universe

A bstract We investigate a pre-inflationary dynamical compactification scenario in which a higher-dimensional expanding universe evolves into an effectively four-dimensional one through curvature-assisted modulus trapping. To obtain a calculable semiclassical realization, we consider a simple five-dimensional S 1 compactification in a time-dependent open FRW background. Bulk quantum fields generate both the late-time Casimir contribution that stabilizes the radion and the early-time Kaluza–Klein thermal contributions relevant for the cosmological evolution. We show that negative curvature can sustain tracker-like radion evolution, allowing the radion to be trapped in a compactified vacuum before a subsequent four-dimensional inflationary phase dilutes the curvature remnant. While our analysis is performed in a 5D toy model, it illustrates a broader mechanism by which dynamical compactification can arise in a pre-inflationary higher-dimensional cosmology.