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The cosmological constant is back

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Abstract

A diverse set of observations now compellingly suggest that the universe possesses a nonzero cosmological constant. In the context of quantum-field theory a cosmological constant corresponds to the energy density of the vacuum, and the favored value for the cosmological constant corresponds to a very tiny vacuum energy density. We discuss future observational tests for a cosmological constant as well as the fundamental theoretical challenges — and opportunities — that this poses for particle physics and for extending our understanding of the evolution of the universe back to the earliest moments.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Physics and of Astronomy, Case Western Reserve University, 44106-7079, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Lawrence M. Krauss

  2. Departments of Physics and of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Enrico Fermi Institute, The University of Chicago, 60637-1433, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Michael S. Turner

  3. NASA/Fermilab Astrophysics Center, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, 60510-0500, Batavia, Illinois, USA

    Michael S. Turner

Authors
  1. Lawrence M. Krauss
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  2. Michael S. Turner
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Additional information

This essay received the fifth award from the Gravity Research Foundation, 1995-Ed.

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Krauss, L.M., Turner, M.S. The cosmological constant is back. Gen Relat Gravit 27, 1137–1144 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02108229

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