Dark energy talk by Professor Alexander Tkatchenko
Abstract:
Our work presents a new approach and makes concrete predictions for solving the so‐called “cosmological constant puzzle”, which has existed since Albert Einstein applied his famous general theory of relativity to the Universe in 1917. This is a real mystery, which refers to the
fact that quantum mechanics yields a “prediction” of vacuum energy density that is 10^120 times larger than the cosmological constant determined from astrophysical measurements of the Universe expansion using the Hubble space telescope or the Planck space mission. We
propose a paradigm shift by a new model based on the idea to calculate the self‐interaction energy of vacuum, which is caused by virtual particles that are created and destroyed out of the vacuum. Remarkably, our calculations yield a value of the energy density in excellent
agreement with the observed cosmological constant. Our results also provide a novel interpretation for the origin of dark energy and strengthen the connection between microscopic quantum mechanics and theories of the Universe. This paves the way to merge general relativity and quantum theory – the remaining “black hole” in modern physics.
We invite you to listen to the talk in case you cannot make it to Campus Limpertsberg.
- Meeting number (access code): 2731 241 8816
- Meeting password: NKmaFpH9r85