Massive Photon and Dark Energy

TL;DR

This paper explores whether a massive photon could account for dark energy, finding that a tiny photon mass around 10^{-34} eV can produce cosmological effects similar to the cosmological constant, consistent with observations.

Contribution

It introduces a scalar-vector-tensor gravity theory with a massive photon that can explain dark energy without conflicting with existing experimental limits.

Findings

Massive photon can produce a dark energy-like effect in cosmology.

Photon mass of about 10^{-34} eV is compatible with current observations.

The theory mimics the ΛCDM model during cosmic evolution.

Abstract

We investigate cosmology of massive electrodynamics and explore the possibility whether massive photon could provide an explanation of the dark energy. The action is given by the scalar-vector-tensor theory of gravity which is obtained by non-minimal coupling of the massive Stueckelberg QED with gravity and its cosmological consequences are studied by paying a particular attention to the role of photon mass. We find that the theory allows cosmological evolution where the radiation- and matter-dominated epochs are followed by a long period of virtually constant dark energy that closely mimics $\Lambda$CDM model and the main source of the current acceleration is provided by the nonvanishing photon mass governed by the relation $\Lambda\sim m^2$. A detailed numerical analysis shows that the nonvanishing photon mass of the order of $\sim 10^{-34}$ eV is consistent with the current observations. This magnitude is far less than the most stringent limit on the photon mass available so far, which is of the order of $m \leq 10^{-27}$eV.