Matter Non-conservation in the Universe and Dynamical Dark Energy

TL;DR

This paper explores the possibility that matter is not conserved in an expanding universe due to dynamical vacuum energy, linking observational hints of varying fundamental constants to matter-vacuum interactions and dark energy dynamics.

Contribution

It proposes a model where matter non-conservation is connected to dynamical dark energy and interprets recent measurements as evidence of matter leakage into vacuum.

Findings

Matter leakage could account for observed variations in fundamental constants.

Dark energy may interact with matter, affecting cosmological evolution.

Matter non-conservation aligns with dynamical vacuum energy theories.

Abstract

In an expanding universe the vacuum energy density \rho_{\Lambda} is expected to be a dynamical quantity. In quantum field theory in curved space-time \rho_{\Lambda} should exhibit a slow evolution, determined by the expansion rate of the universe H. Recent measurements on the time variation of the fine structure constant and of the proton-electron mass ratio suggest that basic quantities of the Standard Model, such as the QCD scale parameter \Lambda_{QCD}, may not be conserved in the course of the cosmological evolution. The masses of the nucleons m_N and of the atomic nuclei would also be affected. Matter is not conserved in such a universe. These measurements can be interpreted as a leakage of matter into vacuum or vice versa. We point out that the amount of leakage necessary to explain the measured value of \dot{m}_N/m_N could be of the same order of magnitude as the observationally allowed value of \dot{\rho}_{\Lambda}/\rho_{\Lambda}, with a possible contribution from the dark matter particles. The dark energy in our universe could be the dynamical vacuum energy in interaction with ordinary baryonic matter as well as with dark matter.