We elaborate on the proposal of [Phys. Rev. Lett. 123 (2019) 13, 131302], about the possibility of hiding the cosmological constant in the complicated topology that one expects to exist at the Planck scale. We build a differential equation ruling the time evolution of $\langle K\rangle$, the spatial average of the expansion scalar. Supposing that the solution $\langle K\rangle = 0$ exists despite the presence of a large cosmological constant $Λ$, we show that such solution seems to be unstable.
We show that the study of hidden conformal symmetry that associates to the Kerr/CFT correspondence can also apply to the cosmological horizon in Kerr-Newman-Taub-NUT-de Sitter spacetime. This symmetry allows one to employ some two dimensional conformal field theory methods to understand the properties of the cosmological horizon. The entropy can be understood by using the Cardy formula, and the equation for scattering process in the near region has an agreement with the one obtained from a two point function in two dimensional conformal field theory. We also show that pair production can occur…
It is argued in a recent letter Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 131302(2019) that the effect of a large cosmological constant can be naturally hidden in Planck scale curvature fluctuations. We point out that there are problems with the author's arguments. The hiding of the cosmological constant proposed in the letter by choosing a suitable lapse function is just an illusion maintained by external forces. In particular, it can not be achieved if the cosmological constant is positive. Fortunately, it works for a negative cosmological constant in a different way, and, interestingly, the sign of the cosmolo…
A recent preprint by Wang and Unruh [arXiv:1911.06110] contains a number of criticisms of my paper, "Hiding the cosmological constant" [Phys. Rev. Lett. 123 (2019) 131302, arXiv:1809.08277]. While Wang and Unruh suggest an interesting alternative scenario and raise an important conceptual question, most of their criticisms are incorrect, in part because of misunderstandings about averaging and about the nature of the "foamy" spacetimes considered in my paper.
We explore the implications of hidden symmetries present in a particular quantum cosmological setting, extending the results reported in \cite{10,11}. In more detail, our case study is constituted by a spatially closed Friedmann-Lema\^ıtre-Robertson-Walker universe, in the presence of a conformally coupled scalar field. The $su(1,1)$ hidden symmetries of this model, together with the Hamiltonian constraint, lead to the gauge invariance of its corresponding Bargmann indices. We subsequently show that some factor-ordering choices can be related to the allowed spectrum of Bargmann indices and hen…
In this paper we analyse the possibility of having homogeneous isotropic cosmological models with observers reaching $t=\infty$ in finite proper time. It is shown that just observationally-suggested dark energy models with $w\in(-5/3,-1)$ show this feature and that they are endowed with an exotic curvature singularity. Furthermore, it is shown that non-accelerated observers in these models may experience a duration of the universe as short as desired by increasing their linear momentum. A subdivision of phantom models in two families according to this behavior is suggested.
The dark energy formula derived by Gurzadyan and Xue which leads to a value fitting the SN data, provides a scaling relation between the physical constants and cosmological parameters and defines a set of cosmological models. In previous works we have considered several of those models and derived the cosmological equations for each case. In this letter, we present the phase portrait analysis of those models. Surprisingly we found, first, that the separatrix in the phase space which determines the character of solutions depends solely on the value of the current matter density. Namely, at $Ω_m…
This work summarises recent progress obtained by the mini-superpspace quantization of $\mathcal N=1$, $d=4$ supergravity, formulated in the framework of the Bianchi IX cosmological model. The emphasis is put on three main results : the completeness of the solution space obtained, the elements suggesting a hidden Kac-Moody structure of the theory and those leading to conjecture an avoidance of the cosmological singularity by some branches of the wave function of the Universe.
In the superconformal formulation of supergravity, the standard supergravity action appears as a result of spontaneous symmetry breaking when the conformal compensator scalar field, the conformon, acquires a nonzero value, giving rise to the Planck mass. After that, many symmetries of the original theory become well hidden, and therefore they are often ignored. However, recent developments demonstrated that superconformal invariance is more than just a tool: it plays an important role in generalizing previously existing formulations of supergravity and developing new classes of inflationary mo…
In this paper, we analytically calculate the quasinormal modes of scalar, vector, tensor, and spinor perturbations of the warped dS$_3$ black hole. There are two horizons for the warped dS$_3$ black hole, namely, the black hole horizon $r_b$ and the cosmological horizon $r_c$. In the calculation, we impose the ingoing boundary condition at the black hole horizon and the outgoing boundary condition at the cosmological horizon. We also investigate the hidden conformal symmetry of the warped dS$_3$ black hole in the region between the black hole horizon and the cosmological horizon $r_b<r<r_c$. W…
We extend General Relativity by promoting Planck scale and the cosmological constant into integration constants, interpreted as fluxes of $4$-forms hiding in the theory. When we include the charges of the $4$-forms, these `constants' can vary discretely from region to region. We explain how the cosmological constant problem can be solved in this new framework. When the cosmological constant picks up contributions from two different $4$-forms, with an irrational ratio of charges, the spectrum of its values is a very fine discretuum. When the charges are mutually irrational, $\frac{2κ_{\tt eff}^…
A framework associating quantum cosmological boundary conditions to minisuperspace hidden symmetries has been introduced in \cite{7}. The scope of the application was, notwithstanding the novelty, restrictive because it lacked a discussion involving realistic matter fields. Therefore, in the herein letter, we extend the framework scope to encompass elements from a scalar-tensor theory in the presence of a cosmological constant. More precisely, it is shown that hidden minisuperspace symmetries present in a pre-big bang model suggest a process from which boundary conditions can be selected.
We study the quantum fermionic billiard defined by the dynamics of a quantized supersymmetric squashed three-sphere (Bianchi IX cosmological model within D=4 simple supergravity). The quantization of the homogeneous gravitino field leads to a 64-dimensional fermionic Hilbert space. We focus on the 15- and 20-dimensional subspaces (with fermion numbers N_F=2 and N_F=3) where there exist propagating solutions of the supersymmetry constraints that carry (in the small-wavelength limit) a chaotic spinorial dynamics generalizing the Belinskii-Khalatnikov-Lifshitz classical "oscillatory" dynamics. By…
We consider a theory of gravity with a hidden extra-dimension and metric-dependent torsion. A set of physically motivated constraints are imposed on the geometry so that the torsion stays confined to the extra-dimension and the extra-dimension stays hidden at the level of four dimensional geodesic motion. At the kinematic level, the theory maps on to General Relativity, but the dynamical field equations that follow from the action principle deviate markedly from the standard Einstein equations. We study static spherically symmetric vacuum solutions and homogeneous-isotropic cosmological soluti…
Application of the adS/CFT correspondence to the RS models may predict that there is no static solution for black holes with a radius larger than the bulk curvature scale. When the black hole has an extremal horizon, however, the correspondence suggests that the black hole can stay static. We focus on the effects of cosmological constant on the brane on such extremal brane-localized black holes. We observe that the positive cosmological constant restrict the black hole size on the brane as in ordinary four-dimensional general relativity. The maximum black hole size differs from that in four-di…
Naive calculations in quantum field theory suggest that vacuum fluctuations should induce an enormous cosmological constant. What if these estimates are right? I argue that even a huge cosmological constant might be hidden in Planck scale fluctuations of geometry and topology---what Wheeler called `spacetime foam'---while remaining virtually invisible macroscopically.
We study the quantum dynamics of a supersymmetric squashed three-sphere by dimensionally reducing (to one timelike dimension) the action of D=4 simple supergravity for an SO(3)-homogeneous (Bianchi IX) cosmological model. The quantization of the homogeneous gravitino field leads to a 64-dimensional fermionic Hilbert space. The algebra of the supersymmetry constraints and of the Hamiltonian one is found to close. One finds that the quantum Hamiltonian is built from operators that generate a 64-dimensional representation of the (infinite-dimensional) maximally compact sub-algebra of the rank-3 h…
Perhaps the cosmological constant really is huge at the Planck scale, but is "hidden" by Planck scale quantum fluctuations of spacetime. I briefly review this proposal and provide some evidence, coming from a simplified midisuperspace model, that an appropriate "foamy" structure can do the job of hiding a large cosmological constant, and can persist under time evolution.
We revisit Wyman's "other" scalar field solution of the Einstein equations and its Sultana generalization to positive cosmological constant, which has a finite 3-space and corresponds to a special case of a stiff fluid solution proposed by Buchdahl and Land and, later, by Ibañez and Sanz to model relativistic stars. However, there is a hidden cosmological constant and the peculiar geometry prevents the use of this spacetime to model relativistic stars.
In this note we elaborate on various five dimensional contributions to the effective 4D cosmological constant in brane systems. In solutions with vanishing 5D cosmological constant we describe a non-local mechanism of cancellation of vacuum energy between the brane and the singularities. We comment on a hidden fine tuning which is implied by this observation.
We prove that the most general solution of the Einstein equations with the cosmological constant which admits a principal conformal Killing-Yano tensor is the Kerr-NUT-(A)dS metric. Even when the Einstein equations are not imposed, any spacetime admitting such hidden symmetry can be written in a canonical form which guarantees the following properties: it is of the Petrov type D, it allows the separation of variables for the Hamilton-Jacobi, Klein-Gordon, and Dirac equations, the geodesic motion in such a spacetime is completely integrable. These results naturally generalize the results obtain…
We point out that theories of cosmological acceleration which have equation of state, w, such that 1+w is small but positive may still secretly violate the null energy condition. This violation implies the existence of observers for whom the background has infinitely negative energy densities, despite the fact that the perturbations are free of ghosts and gradient instabilities.
We study the cosmological evolution of the universe when quintessence is modeled within supergravity, supersymmetry is broken in a hidden sector, and we also include observable matter in a third independent sector. We find that the presence of hidden sector supersymmetry breaking leads to modifications of the quintessence potential. We focus on the coupling of the SUGRA quintessence model to the MSSM and investigate two possibilities. First one can preserve the form of the SUGRA potential provided the hidden sector dynamics is tuned. The currently available limits on the violations of the equi…
The standard formulation of the cosmological constant problem is based on one critical assumption---the spacetime is homogeneous and isotropic, which is true only on cosmological scales. However, this problem is caused by extremely small scale (Planck scale) quantum fluctuations and at that scale, the spacetime is highly inhomogeneous and anisotropic. The homogeneous Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker metric used in the standard formulation is inadequate to describe such small scale dynamics of the spacetime. In this Letter, we reformulate the cosmological constant problem by using a general …
Within the Quantum Field Theory context the idea of a "cosmological constant" (CC) evolving with time looks quite natural as it just reflects the change of the vacuum energy with the typical energy of the universe. In the particular frame of Ref.[30], a "running CC" at low energies may arise from generic quantum effects near the Planck scale, M_P, provided there is a smooth decoupling of all massive particles below M_P. In this work we further develop the cosmological consequences of a "running CC" by addressing the accelerated evolution of the universe within that model. The rate of change of…
