Theories of the Cosmological Constant

TL;DR

This paper reviews current theoretical perspectives on the cosmological constant and discusses methods to compute its probability distribution across multiple subuniverses with varying values.

Contribution

It introduces a framework for calculating the probability distribution of the cosmological constant in multiverse scenarios with many subuniverses.

Findings

Provides a summary of theoretical approaches to the cosmological constant.

Describes a method to compute probability distributions in multiverse models.

Highlights the implications for understanding the observed value of the cosmological constant.

Abstract

This is a talk given at the conference ``Critical Dialogues in Cosmology'' at Princeton University, June 24-- 27, 1996. It gives a brief summary of our present theoretical understanding regarding the value of the cosmological constant, and describes how to calculate the probability distribution of the observed cosmological constant in cosmological theories with a large number of subuniverses (i. e., different expanding regions, or different terms in the wave function of the universe) in which this constant takes different values.