Title

A Dynamical Solution to the Problem of a Small Cosmological Constant and Late-Time Cosmic Acceleration

Author(s)/Creator(s)

Christian Armendariz-Picon, Department of Physics, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NYFollow
V. Mukhanov, Ludwig Maximilians Universitat, Munchen
Paul J. Steinhardt, Princeton University

Document Type

Article

Date

4-11-2000

Language

English

Disciplines

Physics

Description/Abstract

Increasing evidence suggests that most of the energy density of the universe consists of a dark energy component with negative pressure, a ``cosmological constant" that causes the cosmic expansion to accelerate. In this paper, we address the puzzle of why this component comes to dominate the universe only recently rather than at some much earlier epoch. We present a class of theories based on an evolving scalar field where the explanation is based entirely on internal dynamical properties of the solutions. In the theories we consider, the dynamics causes the scalar field to lock automatically into a negative pressure state at the onset of matter-domination such that the present epoch is the earliest possible time, consistent with nucleosynthesis restrictions, when it can start to dominate.

Additional Information

5 pages, 3 figures More information at http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0004134

Recommended Citation

Armendariz-Picon, Christian; Mukhanov, V.; and Steinhardt, Paul J., "A Dynamical Solution to the Problem of a Small Cosmological Constant and Late-Time Cosmic Acceleration" (2000). Physics - All Scholarship. 222.
https://surface.syr.edu/phy/222

Source

Harvested from Arxiv.org

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.