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Related Experiment Videos

Small cosmological constant from the QCD trace anomaly?

Ralf Schützhold1

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z1. schuetz@physics.ubc.ca

Physical Review Letters
|August 23, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Recent astrophysical observations suggest a negative universe pressure, hinting at a positive cosmological constant. Quantum field theory effects, specifically quantum chromodynamics trace anomaly, may explain this, aligning with empirical data.

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Area of Science:

  • Cosmology
  • Quantum Field Theory
  • Astrophysics

Background:

  • Current astrophysical observations indicate a negative large-scale mean pressure in the Universe.
  • This negative pressure suggests the presence of a positive cosmological constant-like term.
  • The origin of this cosmological term remains a significant question in theoretical physics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential contribution of nonperturbative effects from self-interacting quantum fields in curved spacetime.
  • To explore if these quantum effects can account for the observed negative pressure and positive cosmological constant.
  • To focus on the trace anomaly within quantum chromodynamics (QCD) as a potential source.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical analysis of self-interacting quantum fields in curved spacetime.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Focusing on the trace anomaly of quantum chromodynamics (QCD).
  • Performing a preliminary order-of-magnitude estimation of the expected contribution.

    • Main Results:

    • A preliminary estimate of the contribution from the QCD trace anomaly was calculated.
    • The estimated magnitude remarkably coincides with the empirical data from astrophysical observations.
    • This suggests a potential link between quantum field effects and the universe's large-scale pressure.

    Conclusions:

    • Nonperturbative effects of self-interacting quantum fields, particularly the QCD trace anomaly, may significantly contribute to the universe's negative pressure.
    • The findings indicate a potential explanation for the positive cosmological constant-like term.
    • Further research is warranted to confirm the relevance of these quantum effects in cosmology.