Tufts/CfA/MIT Cosmology Seminar, at MIT:

Tuesday, February 12, 2008
2:30 pm
Center for Theoretical Physics Seminar Room
Building 6C, Room 6C-442
Refreshments at 2:00, same location

"The Cosmological Constant Problem in the Stringy Landscape"


Henry Tye
Cornell University

Abstract:

Borrowing the scaling theory of Anderson localization in condensed matter physics, I argue that tunneling from a large cosmological constant site in the stringy cosmic landscape is fast, while tunneling from a small cosmological constant site may take exponentially long time. The critical cosmological constant value is estimated to be exponentially small compared to the Planck (or string) scale. This suggests why our universe has such a small cosmological constant. It also suggests an inflationary scenario with repeated fast tunneling.

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