A new study confirms that the cosmological constant is the best fit for dark energy, and offers the most precise and accurate estimate yet of its value, researchers said. The finding comes from a measurement of the universe's geometry that suggests our universe is flat, rather than spherical or curved.Nov 24, 2010
Why is the cosmological constant wrong?
Some supersymmetric theories require a cosmological constant that is exactly zero, which further complicates things. This is the cosmological constant problem, the worst problem of fine-tuning in physics: there is no known natural way to derive the tiny cosmological constant used in cosmology from particle physics.
Is the cosmological constant actually constant?
The cosmological constant is usually assumed to be, well, a constant. If it isn't, it can be more generally referred to as 'dark energy. ' If our current theories for the cosmos are correct, our universe will expand forever into a cold and dark future.
Who said that that the cosmological constant of Albert Einstein was wrong?
In the 2000 book Exploring Black Holes: Introduction to General Relativity, the famous theorist John Archibald Wheeler (1911–2008) states the following: “Going into the doorway of the Institute for Advanced Study's Fuld Hall with Einstein and George Gamow, I heard Einstein say to Gamow about the cosmological constant, …
What did Einstein call his biggest blunder?
When he called the cosmological constant his "greatest blunder" it really was a blunder; if he had instead listened to what the equations told him, he could have predicted the expanding Universe!
Was Einstein right about cosmological constant?
Physics lore has it that Einstein later confessed that his introduction of the cosmological constant was perhaps his greatest blunder. In 1998, observations of distant supernovas showed the universe wasn't just expanding, but the expansion was speeding up.
Was Einstein cosmological constant correct?
A new study confirms that the cosmological constant is the best fit for dark energy, and offers the most precise and accurate estimate yet of its value, researchers said. The finding comes from a measurement of the universe's geometry that suggests our universe is flat, rather than spherical or curved.
Was Einstein a cosmologist?
Einstein himself lost little time in abandoning his static cosmology at that point. In the early 1930s, he published two distinct models of the expanding universe, one of positive spatial curvature and one of Euclidean geometry.
Why did Einstein remove the cosmological constant?
The light from distant galaxies showed they were all moving away from each other. This revelation persuaded Einstein to abandon the cosmological constant from his field equations as it was no longer necessary to explain an expanding universe.
What was Einstein’s biggest failure?
In his waning years, Albert Einstein spent his time tilting at windmills, trying to unify all the forces of nature. He died disappointed, and his attempt would go down in history as his biggest failure.