Related papers: Scale Invariance as a Solution to the Cosmological…
One of the most enduring and unresolved challenges in modern theoretical and observational cosmology is the fine-tuning and coincidence problems associated with the cosmological constant. Rather than attempting to reconcile these issues…
The cosmological constant problem represents a profound conflict between quantum field theory and general relativity. Unimodular gravity offers a compelling starting point by de-gravitating the vacuum energy of the Standard Model, but this…
We address the question how to adapt cosmological constant $\Lambda$ for description of a vacuum dark energy density jumping from the big initial value to the small today value suggested by observations. We find such a possibility in the…
In the framework of the scale invariant model of the Two Measures Field Theory (TMT), we study the dilaton-gravity sector in the context of spatially flat FRW cosmology. The scale invariance is spontaneously broken due to the intrinsic…
Realizations of scale invariance are studied in the context of a gravitational theory where the action (in the first order formalism) is of the form $S = \int L_{1} \Phi d^{4}x$ + $\int L_{2}\sqrt{-g}d^{4}x$ where $\Phi$ is a density built…
In the present article, which is the first part of a work in three parts, we build an equation of quantum gravity. This equation is tensorial, is equivalent to general relativity in vacuum, but differs completely from general relativity…
We discuss some of the issues which we encounter when we try to invoke the scalar-tensor theories of gravitation as a theoretical basis of quintessence. One of the advantages of appealing to these theories is that they allow us to implement…
In loop quantum cosmology, non-perturbative quantum gravity effects lead to the resolution of the big bang singularity by a quantum bounce without introducing any new degrees of freedom. Though fundamentally discrete, the theory admits a…
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…
The possibility of mass in the context of scale-invariant, generally covariant theories, is discussed. Scale invariance is considered in the context of a gravitational theory where the action, in the first order formalism, is of the form $S…
Scale invariance is considered in the context of gravitational theories where the action, in the first order formalism, is of the form $S = \int L_{1} \Phi d^4x$ + $\int L_{2}\sqrt{-g}d^4x$ where the volume element $\Phi d^4x$ is…
We investigate the cosmological applications of a bi-scalar modified gravity that exhibits partial conformal invariance, which could become full conformal invariance in the absence of the usual Einstein-Hilbert term and introducing…
In this Letter, we address the question of whether the conformal invariance can be considered as a global symmetry of a theory of fundamental interactions. To describe Nature, this theory must contain a mechanism of spontaneous breaking of…
Scale invariance is considered in the context of a gravitational theory where the action, in the first order formalism, is of the form S = \int L_{1} \Phi d^4x + \int L_{2}\sqrt{-g}d^4x where \Phi is a density built out of degrees of…
We have recently presented a manifestly local and general coordinate invariant formulation of a nonlocal approach to the cosmological constant problem. In this article, we investigate quantum effects from both matter and gravitational…
We propose that gravity be intrinsically quantum-mechanical, so that in the absence of quantum mechanics the geometry of the universe would be Minkowski. We show that in such a situation gravity does not require any independent quantization…
The fundamental laws of physics are required to be invariant under local spatial scale change. In 3-dimensional space, this leads to a variation in Planck constant \hbar and speed of light c. They vary as \hbar ~ a^(1/2) and c ~ a^(-1/2), a…
Our conventional system of physical units is based on local or microscopic {\it dimensional} quantities which are {\it defined}, for convenience or otherwise aesthetic reasons, to be spacetime-independent. A more general choice of units may…
We outline a program with the potential to solve both the cosmological constant and quantum gravity problems within a single, comprehensive framework, one that is formulated entirely in four spacetime dimensions. The program is based on an…
We review selected aspects of unimodular gravity and we discuss its viability as a solution of the old cosmological constant problem. In unimodular gravity the cosmological constant is promoted to a global degree of freedom. We highlight…