English

The scaling evolution of cosmological constant

High Energy Physics - Theory 2009-10-31 v3 Astrophysics General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology High Energy Physics - Phenomenology

Abstract

In quantum field theory the parameters of the vacuum action are subject to renormalization group running. In particular, the ``cosmological constant'' is not a constant in a quantum field theory context, still less should be zero. In this paper we continue with previous work, and derive the particle contributions to the running of the cosmological and gravitational constants in the framework of the Standard Model in curved space-time. At higher energies the calculation is performed in a sharp cut off approximation. We assess, in two different frameworks, whether the scaling dependences of the cosmological and gravitational constants spoil primordial nucleosynthesis. Finally, the cosmological implications of the running of the cosmological constant are discussed.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.hep-th/0012227,
  title  = {The scaling evolution of cosmological constant},
  author = {Ilya L. Shapiro and Joan Sola},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:hep-th/0012227},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

25 pages, 1 figure using axodraw. Extended version. The title and the part of the discussion concerning a gravitational energy scale modified. The new section about the role of the cosmological constant in the anomaly-induced inflation added. Misprint in one reference corrected