Related papers: Relaxion window
We present cosmological constraints from measurements of the gas mass fraction, $f_{gas}$, for massive, dynamically relaxed galaxy clusters. Our data set consists of Chandra observations of 40 such clusters, identified in a comprehensive…
The Hubble tension has proven to be stubbornly persistent, despite widespread efforts to relax it. As a possible resolution of this problem we propose a radical alternative to the way in which cosmological models are viewed. Specifically,…
After a short history of the $\Lambda$-term it is explained why the (effective) cosmological constant is expected to obtain contributions from short-distance-physics, corresponding to an energy scale of at least 100 GeV. The actual tiny…
A new component added to the standard model of cosmology that behaves like a cosmological constant at early times and then dilutes away as radiation or faster can resolve the Hubble tension. We show that a rolling axion coupled to a…
The behavior near the singularity of an isotropic, homogeneous cosmological model with a viscous fluid source is investigated. This turns out to be a relaxation dominated regime. Full extended irreversible thermodynamics is used, and…
We consider the most general effective action for the four-form fluxes in the Standard Model coupled to gravity. The Higgs mass parameter can be relaxed to a correct value due to the four-form coupling to the Higgs field and it stops…
We highlight general issues associated with quality and naturalness problems in theories of light QCD-axions, axion-like particles, and relaxions. We show the presence of Planck-suppressed operators generically lead to scalar coupling of…
The considerable difference between early and late universe measurements of the Hubble constant, called the Hubble tension, poses a potential challenge to the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmological model. We examine an interacting dark…
We study the variation of the gravitational Newton's constant on cosmological scales in scalar-tensor theories of gravity. We focus on the simplest models of scalar-tensor theories with a coupling to the Ricci scalar of the form $F(\sigma)…
The fundamental constants of electromagnetism, gravity and quantum mechanics can be related empirically by the numerical approximation $\ln(V_e/V_P)\approx \alpha^{-1}$, where $\alpha$ is the low energy value of the electromagnetic fine…
The relaxation of Fourier modes of hamiltonian chains close to equilibrium is studied in the framework of a simple mode-coupling theory. Explicit estimates of the dependence of relevant time scales on the energy density (or temperature) and…
The light neutrino masses are at present most stringently constraint via cosmological probes. In particular the Planck collaboration reports $ \sum m_\nu \leq 0.12\,\mathrm{eV}$ at $95\%$ CL within the standard cosmological model. This is…
We study the cosmic evolution of an interacting scalar field radiation model, in which a minimally coupled scalar field exchanges energy with the radiation sector through an exponential coupling. Extending previous formulations, a…
A short review about vacuum energy and the cosmological constant is presented. The observed acceleration of the universe introduces a new meV energy scale. The problem is that, theoretically, the predicted vacuum energy is many orders of…
In this work nonperturbative aspects of quantum gravity are investigated using the lattice formulation, and some new results are presented for critical exponents, amplitudes and invariant correlation functions. Values for the universal…
We present an updated analysis of eleven cosmological models that may help reduce the Hubble tension, which now reaches the $6\sigma$ level when considering the latest SH0ES measurement versus recent CMB and BAO data, assuming $\Lambda$CDM.…
The cosmological constant (CC) problem is the biggest enigma of theoretical physics ever. In recent times, it has been rephrased as the dark energy problem in order to encompass a wider spectrum of possibilities. It is, in any case, a…
According to the separate universe conjecture, spherically symmetric sub-regions in an isotropic universe behave like mini-universes with their own cosmological parameters. This is an excellent approximation in both Newtonian and general…
We introduce a dynamical model to reduce a large cosmological constant to a sufficiently small value. The basic ingredient in this model is a distinction which has been made between the two unit systems used in cosmology and particle…
We consider the Hamiltonian system of scalar wave field and a single nonrelativistic particle coupled in a translation invariant manner. The particle is also subject to a confining external potential. The stationary solutions of the system…