Small cosmological constant from the QCD trace anomaly?
According to recent astrophysical observations the large scale mean pressure of our present Universe is negative suggesting a positive cosmological constant-like term. The issue of whether nonperturbative effects of self-interacting quantum fields in curved space-times may yield a significant contribution is addressed. Focusing on the trace anomaly of quantum chromodynamics, a preliminary estimate of the expected order of magnitude yields a remarkable coincidence with the empirical data, indicating the potential relevance of this effect.
Schützhold
Ralf
R
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z1. schuetz@physics.ubc.ca