Artigo Revisado por pares

The cosmological constant is possibly zero, but the proof is probably wrong

1989; Elsevier BV; Volume: 226; Issue: 1-2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0370-2693(89)90284-0

ISSN

1873-2445

Autores

M. J. Duff,

Tópico(s)

Black Holes and Theoretical Physics

Resumo

Substituting a field configuration into an action and varying that action is not equivalent to substituting the configuration into the field equations. Consequently the cosmological constant measured experimentally is not in general given by the coefficient of √−g in some effective action but rather by the coefficient of gμν in the effective Einstein equations. In the case of a rank-three antisymmetric tensor potential, for example, these two quantities differ by a sign. This invalidates Hawking's proof that the cosmological constant is probably zero, and casts doubt on similar attempts based on maximizing the exponential of minus the euclidean action.

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