Related papers: Discrete gravity and and its continuum limit
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…
A diverse set of observations now compellingly suggest that Universe possesses a nonzero cosmological constant. In the context of quantum-field theory a cosmological constant corresponds to the energy density of the vacuum, and the wanted…
We show how a nonlocal gravitational interaction can circumvent the Weinberg no-go theorem on cosmological constant, which forbids the existence of any solution to the cosmological constant problem within the context of local field theories…
Dark energy cosmology is considered in a modified Gauss-Bonnet model of gravity with and without a scalar field. It is shown that these generalizations of General Relativity endow it with a very rich cosmological structure: it may naturally…
The hypothesis of a discrete fabric of the universe--the "Planck scale"--is always on stage, since it solves mathematical and conceptual problems in the infinitely small. However, it clashes with special relativity, which is designed for…
Cosmic acceleration can be achieved not only with a sufficiently flat scalar field potential but through kinetic terms coupled to gravity. These derivative couplings impose a shift symmetry on the scalar field, aiding naturalness. We write…
We study the cosmological constraints on the variation of the Newton's constant and on post-Newtonian parameters for simple models of scalar-tensor theory of gravity beyond the extended Jordan-Brans-Dicke theory. We restrict ourselves to an…
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 renormalization group in effective quantum gravity can be consistently formulated using the Vilkovisky and DeWitt version of effective action and assuming a non-zero cosmological constant. Taking into account that the vacuum counterpart…
A mechanism for suppressing the cosmological constant is described, using a superconducting analogy in which fermions coupled to gravitons are in an unstable false vauum. The coupling of the fermions to gravitons and a screened attractive…
The cosmological constant problem is usually considered an inevitable feature of any effective theory capturing well-tested gravitational and matter physics, without regard to the details of short-distance gravitational couplings. In this…
Galileon gravity is a robust theoretical alternative to general relativity with a cosmological constant for explaining cosmic acceleration, with interesting properties such as having second order field equations and a shift symmetry. While…
Loop Quantum Gravity is a background independent, nonperturbative approach to the quantization of General Relativity. Its application to models of interest in cosmology and astrophysics, known as Loop Quantum Cosmology, has led to new and…
Theoretical considerations of fundamental physics, as well as certain cosmological observations, persistently point out to permissibility, and maybe necessity, of macroscopic modifications of the Einstein general relativity. The…
The accelerating expansion of the Universe points to a small positive vacuum energy density and negative vacuum pressure. A strong candidate is the cosmological constant in Einstein's equations of General Relativity. The vacuum dark energy…
A new set of field equations for a space-time dependent Newton's constant $G(x)$ and cosmological constant $\Lambda(x)$ in the presence of matter is presented. We prove that it represents the most general mathematically consistent,…
We study a set of static solutions of the Einstein equations in presence of a massless scalar field and establish their connection to the Kantowski-Sachs cosmological solutions based on some kind of duality transformations. The physical…
An one-parameter regularization freedom of the Hamiltonian constraint for loop quantum gravity is analyzed. The corresponding spatially flat, homogenous and isotropic model includes the two well-known models of loop quantum cosmology as…
The discovery of the accelerated expansion of the universe highlighted General Relativity's inability to naturally account for dark energy without invoking a finely tuned cosmological constant. In response, a wide range of alternative…
An additional variation of the Einstein-Hilbert action with respect to the Planck mass provides a constraint on the average Ricci scalar that prevents vacuum energy from gravitating. Consideration of the evolution of the inhomogeneous…