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A Nonlocal Approach to the Cosmological Constant Problem

Carroll, Sean M. and Remmen, Grant N. (2017) A Nonlocal Approach to the Cosmological Constant Problem. Physical Review D, 95 (12). Art. No. 123504. ISSN 2470-0010. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.95.123504. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170330-135637254

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Abstract

We construct a model in which the cosmological constant is canceled from the gravitational equations of motion. Our model relies on two key ingredients: a nonlocal constraint on the action, which forces the spacetime average of the Lagrangian density to vanish, and a dynamical way for this condition to be satisfied classically with arbitrary matter content. We implement the former condition with a spatially constant Lagrange multiplier associated with the volume form and the latter by including a free four-form gauge field strength in the action. These two features are enough to remove the cosmological constant from the Einstein equation. The model is consistent with all cosmological and experimental bounds on modification of gravity and allows for both cosmic inflation and the present epoch of acceleration.


Item Type:Article
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.95.123504DOIArticle
https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.95.123504PublisherArticle
http://arxiv.org/abs/1703.09715arXivDiscussion Paper
ORCID:
AuthorORCID
Carroll, Sean M.0000-0002-4226-5758
Remmen, Grant N.0000-0001-6569-8866
Additional Information:© 2017 American Physical Society. Received 5 April 2017; published 7 June 2017. We thank Cliff Cheung and John Schwarz for helpful comments, as well as Monica Guica and Eugene Lim for discussions and collaboration at an earlier stage of this work. This research is funded in part by the Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics at Caltech, by DOE Grant No. DE-SC0011632, and by the Foundational Questions Institute. G. N. R. is supported by a Hertz Graduate Fellowship and a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant No. DGE-1144469.
Group:Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
Department of Energy (DOE)DE-SC0011632
Foundational Questions Institute (FQXI)UNSPECIFIED
Fannie and John Hertz FoundationUNSPECIFIED
NSF Graduate Research FellowshipDGE-1144469
Other Numbering System:
Other Numbering System NameOther Numbering System ID
CALT-TH2017-016
Issue or Number:12
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevD.95.123504
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:20170330-135637254
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170330-135637254
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:75552
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By: Joy Painter
Deposited On:30 Mar 2017 21:05
Last Modified:15 Nov 2021 16:34

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