Related papers: Unimodular relativity and cosmological constant : …
We connect a possible solution for the ``cosmological constant problem'' to the existence of a (postulated) conformal fixed point in a fundamental theory. The resulting cosmology leads to quintessence, where the present acceleration of the…
We study the effective stress-energy tensor induced by cosmological inhomogeneity in $f(R)=R+cR^2$ and equivalent scalar-tensor theories, motivated both by models of early universe inflation and by phenomenological alternative cosmologies…
We review astrophysical, cosmological and terrestrial evidence for and against the constancy of fundamental parameters of particle physics, and discuss theoretical issues of unification and scalar-mediated forces, finding that the current…
In this essay we offer a comprehensible overview of the gravitational aether scenario. This is a possible extension of Einstein's theory of relativity to the quantum regime via an effective approach. Quantization of gravity usually faces…
Einstein-Cartan theory is an extension of the standard formulation of General Relativity characterized by a non-vanishing torsion. The latter is sourced by the matter fields via the spin tensor, and its effects are expected to be important…
Unimodular gravity is classically equivalent to standard Einstein gravity, but differs when it comes to the quantum theory: The conformal factor is non-dynamical, and the gauge symmetry consists of transverse diffeomorphisms only.…
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 cosmological constant problem is studied in a two component cosmological model. The universe contains a cosmological constant of an arbitrary size and sign and an additional component with an inhomogeneous equation of state. It is shown…
The cosmological constant $(1/2)\lambda_{1}\phi_{, \mu}\phi ^{, \mu}/\phi ^{2}$ is introduced to the generalized scalar-tensor theory of gravitation with the coupling function $\omega (\phi)=\eta /(\xi -2)$ and the Machian cosmological…
We consider two problems that have vexed physicists for several decades -- dark matter and the cosmological constant. The problem has been that the former has not been detected while the latter gives a far higher value than detected by…
The notion of diffeomorphism invariance and general covariance are conceptually delicate issues for the field equations and the actions. A thorough study on the original Einstein field equation and its two modifications by Einstein is…
We study the behavior of a general gravitational action, including quadratic terms in the curvature, supplemented by a compact scalar field in 4+1 dimensions. The generalized Einstein equation for this system admits solutions which are…
Some issues of the cosmological constant or dark energy are briefly reviewed. There are an increasing number of observations that constrain the equation of state of dark energy more stringently and favor the time-independent cosmological…
We prove well-posedness of the initial value problem for the Einstein equations for spatially-homogeneous cosmologies with data at an isotropic cosmological singularity, for which the matter content is either a cosmological constant with…
The cosmological constant is not an absolute constant. The gravitating part of the vacuum energy is adjusted to the energy density of matter and to other types of the perturbations of the vacuum. We discuss how the vacuum energy responds…
The concept of deformation of Riemannian geometry is reviewed, with applications to gravitation and cosmology. Starting with an analysis of the cosmological constant problem, it is shown that space-times are deformable in the sense of local…
Tentative observations and theoretical considerations have recently led to renewed interest in models of fundamental physics in which certain ``constants'' vary in time. Assuming fixed black hole mass and the standard form of the…
An effective local quantum field theory with UV and IR cutoffs correlated in accordance with holographic entropy bounds is capable of rendering the cosmological constant (CC) stable against quantum corrections. By setting an IR cutoff to…
The possibility of extending the quantum mechanical superposition principle to free parameters such as the cosmological constant appearing in the Lagrangian of physical theories is examined. If the cosmological constant is subject to a…
We propose a novel, higher-derivative, Weyl-invariant and generally-covariant theory for the cosmological constant. This theory is a mimetic construction with gauge fields playing the role of dynamical variables. These fields compose the…