Observed Hubble constant is consistent with physics of the quantum vacuum
Year: 2020
Type: preprint
Abstract: The current standard model of cosmology assumes that the cosmological constant Lambda is constant. The parameters of this model were determined from measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background with high precision. Yet the model predicts a Hubble constant at the present cosmological time that disagrees with direct measurements by about 10% with 1% error. Many theoretical explanations have been proposed to resolve the tension between the Hubble data. All of them require fields or interactions of an otherwise unknown and as yet untested nature. Here we show that the extrapolation of a theory well-tested in atomic, molecular and optical physics is consistent with the facts. The theory relates Lambda to Casimir forces of the quantum vacuum with the expanding universe acting as a time-dependent medium. We also predict how Lambda varies with redshift, which can be tested in measurements of the cosmological equation of state.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Ulf Leonhardt, Dror Berechya
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3048856368