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arXiv · hep-ph/0311312

The phantom menaced: constraints on low-energy effective ghosts

James M. Cline·Sangyong Jeon·Guy D. Moore
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Abstract

It has been suggested that a scalar field with negative kinetic energy, or ``ghost,'' could be the source of the observed late-time cosmological acceleration. Naively, such theories should be ruled out by the catastrophic quantum instability of the vacuum. We derive phenomenological bounds on the Lorentz-violating ultraviolet cutoff Lambda which must apply to low-energy effective theories of ghosts, in order to keep the instability at unobservable levels. Assuming only that ghosts interact at least gravitationally, we show that Lambda < 3 MeV for consistency with the cosmic gamma ray background. We also show that theories of ghosts with a Lorentz-conserving cutoff are completely excluded.

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James M. Cline, Sangyong Jeon, Guy D. Moore. 2004-04-28. The phantom menaced: constraints on low-energy effective ghosts. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.70.043543

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