Embiggened anti-D3 branes…
My former undergraduate roommate (something uncommon in the UK) recently pointed out some subtle humour in a string theory paper. JHEP 0701 (2007) 083 (Gauge/gravity duality and meta-stable dynamical supersymmetry breaking, by Argurio, Bertolini, Franco, and Kachru) sneaks in a Simpsons reference:
For large P, the three-form fluxes are dilute, and the gradient of the Myers potential encouraging an anti-D3 to embiggen is very mild. [emphasis mine, original source]
Did you catch that? `Embiggen‘ is a word invented by a writer for The Simpsons. As one might expect, it means “to make bigger.” For some context:
“A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.” — Jebediah Springfield, The Simpsons (season 7, episode16)
For a bit more context, here’s a YouTube video with some highlights:
Anyway, the reference is a nice inclusion. One wonders if one of the authors was put up to this, akin to the now-famous story of the name `penguin diagram.’ I’m not a betting man, but I have my suspicions about which of the authors is a Simpsons fan. 
Filed under: Just for Fun | 3 Comments
Flip Tomato
I'm a postgraduate, expatriate physics student. RSS Feed.
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Actually, I think embiggen means to make better not bigger…
The clip is great, btw.
Best,
Niaree