Related papers: On Dark Energy and Quantum Gravity
It is shown that a simple model for 4-dimensional quantum gravity based on a 3-dimensional generalization of anyon superconductivity can be regarded as a discrete form of Polyakov's string theory. This suggests that there is a universal…
In this letter, we consider the possibility of reconciling metric theories of gravitation with violation of the conservation of energy-momentum. Under some circumstances, this can be achieved in the context of unimodular gravity, and it…
It is shown that quantum vacuum fluctuations give rise to a curvature of space-time of the order appropriate to explain the observed accelerated expansion of the universe. The fact that the fluctuations produce curvature, even if the…
The cosmological constant problem is principally concerned with trying to understand how the zero-point energy of quantum fields contributes to gravity. Here we take the approach that by addressing a fundamental unresolved issue in quantum…
Recent results on classical and quantum strings in a variety of black hole and cosmological spacetimes, in various dimensions, are presented. The curved backgrounds under consideration include the $2+1$ black hole anti de Sitter spacetime…
We investigate the influence of a generalized cosmic string in (D+1) -dimensional spacetime on the local characteristics of the electromagnetic vacuum. Two special cases are considered with flat and locally de Sitter background geometries.…
A novel idea is proposed for a natural solution of the dark energy and its cosmic coincidence problem. The existence of local antigravity sources, associated with astrophysical matter configurations distributed throughout the universe, can…
In this colloquium-level account, I describe the cosmological constant problem: why is the energy of empty space at least 60 orders of magnitude smaller than several known contributions to it from the Standard Model of particle physics? I…
Recent developments in string compactifications demonstrate obstructions to the simplest constructions of low energy cosmologies with positive vacuum energy. The existence of obstacles to creating scale-separated de Sitter solutions…
It is suggested that the vacuum expectation of the quantum vacuum energy-momentum is zero, but quantum fluctuations give rise to a space-time curvature equivalent to that of a cosmological constant or dark energy. Calculations within…
In this Letter, we study the implications of string Swampland criteria for dark energy in view of ongoing and future cosmological observations. If string theory should be the ultimate quantum gravity theory, there is evidence that exact de…
There have been many attempts to construct de Sitter space-times in string theory. While arguably there have been some successes, this has proven challenging, leading to the de Sitter swampland conjecture: quantum theories of gravity do not…
We consider various candidates for Dark Energy, motivated by string theory. Several no-go theorems push de Sitter string vacua, with $w=-1$, to the limits of theoretical control, and all known examples depend on a delicate interplay between…
We propose possible properties of quantum gravity in de Sitter space, and find that they relate the value of the cosmological constant to parameters of the Standard Model. In de Sitter space we suggest (i) that the most sharply defined…
It has recently been conjectured that string theory does not admit de Sitter vacua, and that quintessence explains the current epoch of accelerated cosmic expansion. A proposed, key prediction of this scenario is time-varying couplings in…
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…
The search for a theory of quantum gravity faces two great challenges: the incredibly small scales of the Planck length and time, and the possibility that the observed constants of nature are in part the result of random processes. A…
We study gravitational theories with a cosmological constant and the Gauss-Bonnet curvature squared term and analyze the possibility of de Sitter expanding spacetime with a constant internal space. We find that there are two branches of the…
De Sitter solutions have been recently conjectured to be incompatible with quantum gravity. In this paper we critically assess the progress and challenges of different mechanisms to obtain de Sitter vacua in string compactifications and…
This article summarizes a new approach to quantum gravity based on the concepts of modular spacetime, Born geometry, and metastring theory and their applications to quantum gravity phenomenology. In particular, we discuss a new…