Related papers: Entangled states in quantum cosmology and the inte…
The presence of a cosmological constant, Lambda, in an action with higher powers of the curvature can produce rapidly oscillating metrics. We develop a perturbative approach for generating periodic solutions to the non-linear field…
It is well-known that quantum field theory (QFT) induces a huge value of the cosmological constant, $\Lambda$, which is outrageously inconsistent with cosmological observations. We review here some aspects of this fundamental theoretical…
Thermodynamics on the horizon of a flat universe at late times is studied in holographic cosmological models that assume an associated entropy on the horizon. In such models, a $\Lambda(t)$ model similar to a time-varying $\Lambda(t)$…
We construct modified cosmological scenarios through the application of the first law of thermodynamics in the universe horizon, but using the generalized, nonextensive Tsallis entropy instead of the usual Bekenstein-Hawking one. We result…
We argue that in the context of string theory a large number N of connected degenerate vacua that mix will lead to a ground state with much lower energy, essentially because of the standard level repulsion of quantum theory for the…
Although the foundations of quantum and classical physics are much different, it is often difficult to pinpoint which features of a particular system are intrinsically "quantum". Perhapse, the most clear-cut distinction between "classical"…
Increasing improvements in the independent determinations of the Hubble constant and the age of the universe now seem to indicate that we need a small non-vanishing cosmological constant to make the two independent observations consistent…
We derive new limits on the value of the cosmological constant, $\Lambda$, based on the Einstein bending of light by systems where the lens is a distant galaxy or a cluster of galaxies. We use an amended lens equation in which the…
Issues related to quantum entanglement in systems of indistinguishable particles, as discussed in the information theoretic approach, are extended to anyonic statistics. Local and non-local measurements discussed in this framework are…
We present a simple and self-consistent cosmology with a phenomenological model of quantum creation of radiation and matter due to decay of the cosmological constant $\Lambda$. The decay drives a non-isentropic inflationary epoch, which…
The bulk viscosity of cosmological fluid and the creation of cold dark matter both result in the generation of irreversible entropy (related to dissipative processes) in a homogeneous and isotropic universe. To consider such effects, the…
In this essay, we present a new understanding of the cosmological constant problem, built upon the realization that the vacuum energy density can be expressed in terms of a phase space volume. We introduce a UV-IR regularization which…
There is a paradox in the standard model of cosmology. How can matter in the early universe have been in thermal equilibrium, indicating maximum entropy, but the initial state also have been low entropy (the "past hypothesis"), so as to…
The idea of a variable dark energy has been entertained many times in the literature and from many different points of view. Quintessence is just a popular way to implement this idea in recent times, but so far with little success. Another…
Recently, there have been claims in the literature that the cosmological constant problem can be dynamically solved by specific compactifications of gravity from higher-dimensional toy models. These models have the novel feature that in the…
Coupling any interacting quantum mechanical system to gravity in one dimension requires the cosmological constant to belong to the matter energy spectrum and thus to be quantized, even though the gravity sector is free of any quantum…
Well tempered cosmology provides a well defined path for obtaining cosmology with a low energy cosmic acceleration despite a high (Planck) energy cosmological constant $\Lambda$, through a scalar field dynamically canceling $\Lambda$. We…
The assumption that a complete description of an early state of the universe does not privilege any position or direction in space leads to a unified account of probability in cosmology, macroscopic physics, and quantum mechanics. Such a…
We demonstrate that, in the context of the $\Lambda$CDM model, it is in principle possible to measure the value of the cosmological constant by tracing, across cosmic time, the evolution of the turnaround radius of cosmic structures. The…
At present, there is practically no doubt that general relativity is closely related to gravity. Moreover, after the work of Jacobson, Padmanabhan and others, it became clear that a thermodynamic interpretation of Einstein's relativistic…