Some solutions for one of the cosmological constant problems

TL;DR

This paper introduces covariant models, including extensions of sequestering and unimodular gravity, aiming to address the cosmological constant problem by making quantum corrections irrelevant to gravitational dynamics.

Contribution

The paper proposes new covariant models that extend existing theories, effectively absorbing quantum corrections into scalar fields and exploring topological field theory approaches.

Findings

Quantum corrections become irrelevant to dynamics in extended models.

Spontaneous breaking of BRS symmetry challenges topological models' consistency.

Models offer potential solutions to the cosmological constant problem.

Abstract

We propose several covariant models which may solve one of the problems in the cosmological constant. One of the model can be regarded as an extension of sequestering model. Other models could be regarded as extensions of the covariant formulation of the unimodular gravity. The contributions to the vacuum energy from the quantum corrections from the matters are absorbed into a redefinition of a scalar field and the quantum corrections become irrelevant to the dynamics. In a class of the extended unimodular gravity models, we also consider models which are regarded as topological field theories. The models can be extended and not only the vacuum energy but any quantum corrections to the gravitational action could become irrelevant for the dynamics. We find, however, that the BRS symmetry in the topological field theories is broken spontaneously and therefore the models might not be consistent.