Field Theory Models without the Cosmological Constant Problem

TL;DR

This paper introduces novel gravitational field theory models with dynamically determined measures, demonstrating that certain models can naturally resolve the cosmological constant problem without fine-tuning.

Contribution

It proposes new models of gravity with non-standard measures that inherently address the cosmological constant problem by ensuring a zero vacuum energy in true vacuum states.

Findings

Models (A) and (B) solve the cosmological constant problem in first order formalism.

Symmetry breaking in model (C) leads to a nonzero vacuum energy density.

The approach avoids fine-tuning by using measure fields and symmetry considerations.

Abstract

We study field theory models in the context of a gravitational theory based on the requirement that the measure of integration in the action is not necessarily \sqrt{-g} but it is determined dynamically through additional degrees of freedom, like four scalar fields \phi_{a}. We study three possibilities for the general structure of the theory: (A) The total action has the form S=\int\Phi Ld^{4}x where the measure \Phi is built from the scalars \phi_{a} in such a way that the transformation L\to L+const does not effect equations of motion. Then an infinite dimensional shifts group of the measure fields (SGMF) \phi_{a} by arbitrary functions of the Lagrangian density L is a symmetry group of the action. (B) The total action has the form S=S_{1}+S_{2}, S_{1}=\int\Phi L_{1}d^{4}x, S_{2}=\int\sqrt{-g}L_{2}d^{4}x which is the only model different from (A) and invariant under SGMF (but now with f_{a}= f_{a}(L_{1})). Similarly, now only S_{1} satisfies the requirement that the transformation L_{1}\to L_{1}+const does not effect equations of motion. Both in the case (A) and in the case (B) it is assumed that L, L_{1}, L_{2} do not depend on \phi_{a}. (C) The action includes a term which breaks the SGMF symmetry. It is shown that in the first order formalism in cases (A) and (B) the CCP is solved: the effective potential vanishes in a true vacuum state (TVS) without fine tuning. In the case (C), the breaking of the SGMF symmetry induces a nonzero energy density for the TVS.