Reformulation of the Cosmological Constant Problem

Abstract

The standard formulation of the cosmological constant problem is based on one critical assumption---the spacetime is homogeneous and isotropic, which is true only on cosmological scales. However, this problem is caused by extremely small scale (Planck scale) quantum fluctuations and at that scale, the spacetime is highly inhomogeneous and anisotropic. The homogeneous Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker metric used in the standard formulation is inadequate to describe such small scale dynamics of the spacetime. In this Letter, we reformulate the cosmological constant problem by using a general inhomogeneous metric. The fine-tuning problem does not arise in the reformulation since the large gravitational effect of the quantum vacuum is hidden by small scale spacetime fluctuations. The stress energy tensor fluctuations of the quantum fields vacuum could serve as "dark energy" to drive the accelerating expansion of the Universe through a weak parametric resonance effect.

arXiv comment5 pages, 1 figure

References in corpus (7)

• The Cosmological Constant
• 3+1 Formalism and Bases of Numerical Relativity
• Stochastic Gravity: Theory and Applications
• Stochastic Gravity: Theory and Applications
• How the huge energy of quantum vacuum gravitates to drive the slow accelerating expansion of the Universe
• Hiding the cosmological constant
• Vacuum fluctuation, micro-cyclic "universes" and the cosmological constant problem

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Fractional Scalar Field Cosmology
• Cosmological Constant and Vacuum Zero Point Energy in Black Hole Backgrounds
• Comment on "Hiding the Cosmological Constant"
• Vacuum Zero Point Energy and its Statistical Correlations in dS Background
• Looping back to the past through free fall in a controlled warp drive spacetime
• A Natural Introduction to Fine-Tuning
• Particle-antiparticle oscillation modes crossing horizon: baryogenesis and dark-matter waves