Domain Walls as Dark Energy

Abstract

The possibility that the energy density of the Universe is dominated by a network of low-tension domain walls provides an alternative to the commonly discussed cosmological constant and scalar-field quintessence models of dark energy. We quantify the lower bound on the number density of the domain walls that follows from the observed near-isotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation. This bound can be satisfied by a strongly frustrated domain wall network. No fine-tuning of the parameters of the underlying field theory model is required. We briefly outline the observational consequences of this model.

6 pages; appendix added; version to appear in Phys. Rev. D