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arXiv · 1007.3086

A New Solution of The Cosmological Constant Problems

John D. Barrow·Douglas J. Shaw
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Abstract

We extend the usual gravitational action principle by promoting the bare cosmological constant (CC) from a parameter to a field which can take many possible values. Variation leads to a new integral constraint equation which determines the classical value of the effective CC that dominates the wave function of the universe. In a realistic cosmological model, the expected value of the effective CC, is calculated from measurable quantities to be O(t_U), as observed, where t_U is the present age of the universe in Planck units,. Any application of our model produces a falsifiable prediction for $Λ$ in terms of other measurable quantities. This leads to a specific falsifiable prediction for the observed spatial curvature parameter of Omega_k0=-0.0055. Our testable proposal requires no fine tunings or extra dark-energy fields but does suggest a new view of time and cosmological evolution.

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BibTeXRIS

John D. Barrow, Douglas J. Shaw. 2011-02-10. A New Solution of The Cosmological Constant Problems. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.106.101302

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