Classical cancellation of the cosmological constant reconsidered

Stephen M. Barr, Siew-Phang Ng, and Robert J. Scherrer
Phys. Rev. D 73, 063530 – Published 30 March 2006

Abstract

We revisit a scenario in which the cosmological constant is cancelled by the potential energy of a slowly evolving scalar field, or cosmon. The cosmon’s evolution is tied to the cosmological constant by a feedback mechanism. This feedback is achieved by an unconventional coupling of the cosmon field to the Ricci curvature scalar. The solutions show that the effective cosmological constant evolves approximately as t2 and remains always of the same order as the density of ordinary matter and radiation. Newton’s constant varies on cosmological time scales, with G˙N/GN1/t. GN could have been somewhat different, and possibly smaller, at the time of Big Bang nucleosynthesis.

  • Figure
  • Received 23 January 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.73.063530

©2006 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Stephen M. Barr* and Siew-Phang Ng

  • Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA

Robert J. Scherrer

  • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, USA

  • *Electronic address: smbarr@bartol.udel.edu
  • Electronic address: spng@bartol.udel.edu
  • Electronic address: robert.scherrer@vanderbilt.edu

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Issue

Vol. 73, Iss. 6 — 15 March 2006

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