Dark energy as a curvature of space-time induced by quantum vacuum fluctuations

Abstract

It is shown that quantum vacuum fluctuations give rise to a curvature of space-time of the order appropriate to explain the observed accelerated expansion of the universe. The fact that the fluctuations produce curvature, even if the expectation of the vacuum energy vanishes, is a consequence of the non-linear character of the Einstein equation. A calculation is made, involving plausible hypotheses within quantized gravity, which establishes a relation between the two-point correlation of the vacuum fluctuations and the space-time curvature.

Accepted in Astrophysics and Space Science

References in corpus (3)

• Dynamics of dark energy
• Five-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Data Processing, Sky Maps, and Basic Results
• Dark energy and dark matter as curvature effects

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Can observations inside the Solar System reveal the gravitational properties of the quantum vacuum?
• Stochastic interpretation of quantum mechanics assuming that vacuum fields are real
• The Number of Information Bits Related to the Minimum Quantum and Gravitational Masses in a Vacuum Dominated Universe
• Analogy of space time as un elastic medium -- Can we establish a thermal expansion coefficient of space from the cosmological constant Lambda?
• Effects of the quantum vacuum at a cosmic scale and of dark energy