Tufts/CfA/MIT Cosmology Seminar, at the CfA:

Tuesday, October 8, 2002
2:30 pm
Gilman Room, Agassiz House, Radcliffe Yard
Refreshments at 2:00, same location

"Disturbing Implications of a Cosmological Constant"


Matt Kleban
Stanford University

Abstract:

I will consider the implications of a true cosmological constant for the evolution of the universe, under a set of assumptions motivated by the holographic and horizon complementarity principles. I will discuss the "causal patch" description of spacetime required by this framework, and present some simple examples of cosmologies described this way. I will argue that this inevitably leads to predictions in total conflict with observation, and therefore requires major revisions of our assumptions.

Return to Joint Cosmology Seminar home page.