Random values of the cosmological constant
arXiv:hep-ph/0006088 · doi:10.1088/1126-6708/2000/08/022
Abstract
One way that an anthropic selection mechanism may be manifest in a physical theory involves multiple domains in the universe with different values of the physical parameters. If this mechanism is to be relevant for understanding the small observed value of the cosmological constant, it may involve a mechanism by which some contributions to the cosmological constant can be fixed at a continuous range of values in the different domains. I study the properties of four possible mechanisms, including the possibility of the Hubble damping of a scalar field with an extremely flat potential. Another interesting possibility involves fixed random values of non-dynamical form fields, and a cosmological mechanism is suggested. This case raises the possibility of anthropic selection of other parameters in addition. Further requirements needed for a consistent cosmology are discussed.
17 pages, Comments (and references) added on quantum fluctuations and eternal inflation, and the discussion of Hubble damping has been modified significantly
Cited by in corpus (19)
- On the Possibility of Large Axion Decay Constants
- The scaling evolution of cosmological constant
- Solutions to the cosmological constant problems
- Testing the running of the cosmological constant with Type Ia Supernovae at high z
- Statistics on the Heterotic Landscape: Gauge Groups and Cosmological Constants of Four-Dimensional Heterotic Strings
- Selftuning and its footprints
- Observational Bounds on Cosmic Doomsday
- Where in the String Landscape is Quintessence
- Testable anthropic predictions for dark energy
- Probabilities in the Bousso-Polchinski multiverse
- Current Observational Constraints on Cosmic Doomsday
- The warm inflation story
- Field theory models for variable cosmological constant
- Discretuum versus Continuum Dark Energy
- Dynamics of M-theory vacua
- The Multiverse and Particle Physics
- Spatial gradients in the cosmological constant
- Irrational Monodromies of Vacuum Energy
- On the Holographic RG-flow and the Low-energy, Strong Coupling, Large N Limit