Related papers: Cosmological Constant Implementing Mach Principle …
We generalize the standard model of particle physics such it displays global scale invariance. The gravitational action is also suitably modified such that it respects this symmetry. This model is interesting since the cosmological constant…
The cosmological constant induced by quantum fluctuation of the graviton on a given background is considered as a tool for building a spectrum of different geometries. In particular, we apply the method to the Schwarzschild background with…
The cosmological constant $\Lambda$ is a free parameter in Einstein's equations of gravity. We propose to fix its value with a boundary condition: test particles should be free when outside causal contact, e.g. at infinity. Under this…
I try to revive, and possibly reconcile, a debate started a few years ago, about the relative roles of a bare cosmological constant and of a vacuum energy, by taking the attitude to try to get the most from the physics now available as…
In the presence of a cosmological constant, ordinary Poincare' special relativity is no longer valid and must be replaced by a de Sitter special relativity, in which Minkowski space is replaced by a de Sitter spacetime. In consequence, the…
The cosmological constant problem is turned around to argue for a new foundational physics postulate underlying a consistent quantum theory of gravity and matter, such as string theory. This postulate is a quantum equivalence principle…
The dynamic status of scalar fields is studied in the Hamiltonian approach to the General Relativity. We show that the conformal coupling of the scalar field violates the standard geometrical structure of the Einstein equations in GR and…
Gravitation is described in the context of a dilatonic theory that is conformally related to general relativity. All dimensionless ratios of fundamental dimensional quantities, e.g. particle masses and the Planck mass, as well as the…
The cosmological constant sets certain scales important in cosmology. We show that Lambda in conjunction with other parameters like the Schwarzschild radius leads to scales relevant not only for cosmological but also for astrophysical…
Following a conjecture of Feynman, we explore the possibility that only those energy forms that are associated with (massive or massless) particles couple to the gravitational field, but not others. We propose an experiment to deflect…
We propose that the solution to the cosmological vacuum energy puzzle may come from the infrared sector of the effective theory of gravity, where the impact of the trace anomaly is of upmost relevance. We proceed by introducing two…
According to theoretical physics the cosmological constant (CC) is expected to be much larger in magnitude than other energy densities in the universe, which is in stark contrast to the observed Big Bang evolution. We address this old CC…
Ernst Mach (1838-1916) suggested that the origin of gravitational interaction could depend on the presence of all masses in the universe. A corresponding hypothesis of Sciama (1953) on the gravitational constant, c^2/G = \sum m_i/r_i, is…
Observations indicate that our universe is characterized by a late-time accelerating phase, possibly driven by a cosmological constant $\Lambda$, with the dimensionless parameter $\Lambda L_P^2 \simeq 10^{-122}$, where $L_P = (G \hbar…
We develop the Brans-Dicke theory of gravity in the context of varying constants of Nature. Using the unimodular formalism of General Relativity, we create a platform to provide physical relational times giving the evolution of physical…
Theories of the cosmological constant fall into two classes, those in which the vacuum energy is fixed by the fundamental theory and those in which it is adjustable in some way. For each class we discuss key challenges. The string theory…
The covariant canonical transformation theory applied to the relativistic Hamiltonian theory of classical matter fields in dynamical space-time yields a novel (first order) gauge field theory of gravitation. The emerging field equations…
A theory of the cosmological constant Lambda is currently out of reach. Still, one can start from a set of axioms that describe the most desirable properties a cosmological constant should have. This can be seen in certain analogy to the…
In addressing the cosmological constant problem, we propose that the discrepancy between the theoretical and observed values can be ascribed to the inherent uncertainty in the spacetime metric. Mach's principle, which posits that mass…
Accelerating universe or the existence of a small and positive cosmological constant is probably the most pressing obstacle as well as opportunity to significantly improving the models of four-dimensional cosmology from fundamental theories…