Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2005-04-19
Found.Phys.37:1470-1498,2007
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
32 pages, 9 figures. Significantly expanded version. To appear in Foundations of Physics Journal
Scientific paper
10.1007/s10701-007-9175-z
Associated with the cosmic acceleration are the old and new cosmological constant problems, recently put into the more general context of the dark energy problem. In broad terms, the old problem is related to an unexpected order of magnitude of this component while the new problem is related to this magnitude being of the same order of the matter energy density during the present epoch of cosmic evolution. Current plans to measure the equation of state certainly constitute an important approach; however, as we discuss, this approach is faced with serious feasibility challenges and is limited in the type of conclusive answers it could provide. Therefore, is it really too early to seek actively for new tests and approaches to these problems? In view of the difficulty of this endeavor, we argue here that a good place to start is by questioning some of the assumptions underlying the formulation of these problems and finding new ways to put this questioning to the test. First, we calculate how much fine tuning the cosmic coincidence problem represents. Next, we discuss the potential of some cosmological probes such as gravitational lensing to identify novel tests to probe dark energy questions and assumptions. Then, motivated by some theorems in General Relativity, we discuss if the full identification of the cosmological constant with vacuum energy is unquestionable. Also, we point out the relevance of experiments at the interface of astrophysics and quantum field theory, such as the Casimir effect in gravitational and cosmological contexts. We conclude that challenging some of the assumptions underlying the cosmological constant problems and putting them to the test may prove useful and necessary to make progress on these questions. (Abridged)
No associations
LandOfFree
Remarks on the formulation of the cosmological constant/dark energy problems does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Remarks on the formulation of the cosmological constant/dark energy problems, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Remarks on the formulation of the cosmological constant/dark energy problems will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-40382