Some remarks on axion dark matter, dark energy and energy of the quantum vacuum

Abstract

In connection with the problem of dark matter, we discuss recent results on constraining the parameters of axion-to-nucleon interaction following from the experiment on measuring the difference of Casimir forces. It is shown that this experiment not only leads to competitive constraints, but provides stronger support to other constraints obtained in Casimir physics so far. The description of dark energy by means of cosmological constant originated from the quantum vacuum is considered in terms of the renormalization procedures in quantum field theory. It is argued that only the renormalized value of cosmological constant directly connected with the observed density of dark energy is of physical significance, so that some statements in the literature concerning the vacuum catastrophe may be considered as an exaggeration.

8 pages, 1 figure; to appear in Int. J. Mod. Phys. A; based on the talk presented at the "10th Alexander Friedmann International Seminar on Gravitation and Cosmology and 4th Symposium on the Casimir Effect" (Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 2019)

References in corpus (12)

• Dark Energy and the Accelerating Universe
• Tests of the Gravitational Inverse-Square Law below the Dark-Energy Length Scale
• Particle Physics Implications of a Recent Test of the Gravitational Inverse Square Law
• Limits on a CP-violating scalar axion-nucleon interaction
• Demonstration of the Casimir force between ferromagnetic surfaces of a Ni-coated sphere and a Ni-coated plate
• Experiment and theory in the Casimir effect
• Improved constraints on the coupling constants of axion-like particles to nucleons from recent Casimir-less experiment
• Constraints on axion-nucleon coupling constants from measuring the Casimir force between corrugated surfaces
• Prospects for Searching Thermal Effects, Non-Newtonian Gravity and Axion-Like Particles: Cannex Test of the Quantum Vacuum
• Stronger constraints on axion from measuring the Casimir interaction by means of dynamic atomic force microscope
• Constraining axion coupling constants from measuring the Casimir interaction between polarized test bodies
• Whether an enormously large energy density of the quantum vacuum is catastrophic