Cosmological Constant: Significance & "God" Particle

In summary: The cosmological constant is a number used in theoretical physics that attempts to stabilize the universe against the accelerating expansion of space-time. Although it has been superseded by current understanding of the universe's expansion, it is still in use and has been known to have a significant impact on the dynamics of the universe.
  • #1
monty37
225
1
can someone tell me about the cosmological constant,its significance and 'god' particle?
 
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  • #2
The cosmological constant, to my understanding, it's a fudge factor introduced by Einstein into GR. The reason behind this number panders to a deterministic/stable view of the universe: always there, always existed, not moving or going anywhere. Keep in mind that GR was developed before Hubble-Humason discovered the expansion of the universe. After that, the cosmological constant became "the greatest blunder" of Einstein's life. Refering to some kind of "theoretical physics oops", I suppose.

In the late 90's, an awesome discovery was made regarding the expansion of the universe: it's accelerating. Which basically brought back attention to this whole "cosmological constant" deal.

It's a very decently refined value, something like 74 km/s/mpc. What's driving the expansion? (in other words, what gives the CC it's value). A number of scientists turn to what's known as Dark Energy. A very interesting concept beyond the scope of this reply. Don't be surprised when reading up on DE; opinions are very much divided among the science community. Or at least, that's the impression I get.

As for the "god particle" (I severely dislike those names), you might want to look into the Higgs particle. The Higgs particle is a boson that, among other things, gives "mass" to other particles. How does it work? I have no idea: all I know it's considered to be a field present in all of space-time. Finding this particle will pretty much confirm the standard model of particles, which predicts this guy in the first place.
 
  • #3
why does the fact that the universe accelerate bring back focus on this constant,because this constant was brought out keeping the stable view of universe
,right? does the higgs particle have its own mass,now what exactly does giving mass
to other particles mean,since every particle we know has mass?...
 
  • #4
monty37 said:
why does the fact that the universe accelerate bring back focus on this constant,because this constant was brought out keeping the stable view of universe
,right?

Indeed, keep in mind that it serves a different purpose now. Before, it kept the universe static, now it's a placeholder [so to speak] for a measurable quantity that indicated that the universe is expanding.

monty37 said:
does the higgs particle have its own mass,now what exactly does giving mass
to other particles mean,since every particle we know has mass?...

This is way beyond my league, sorry.

http://www.google.com.mx/search?q=higgs+particle"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higgs_boson" [Broken]
 
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  • #5
does the higgs particle have its own mass,now what exactly does giving mass
to other particles mean,since every particle we know has mass?...

You can read about the theoretical Higgs mechanism...it's a field(s) responsible for symmetry breaking among forces and particles...in other words, it's responsible for breaking unified high energy forces and particles, which are indistinguishable at high energies during the "big bang" , into apparently separate and distinct force carriers and matter particles which we observe today...

In the same way that an electrogmaetic field provides a FORCE to electrically charged particles, but not neutral particles, a Higgs field gives some particles MASS (like protons and electrons)...but not others, which become force carriers (like photons and gravitons).
The Higgs particle (that is the higgs field) has never been detected but there are hopes it might be when the new European collider gets up and running...
 
  • #6
gravity in verse levity

monty37 said:
can someone tell me about the cosmological constant,its significance and 'god' particle?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmological_constant#Equation
“A positive vacuum energy density resulting from a cosmological constant implies a negative pressure, and vice versa. If the energy density is positive, the associated negative pressure will drive an accelerated expansion of empty space.”

Cosmological constant acceleration is relative equivalent mathematical construct as space.time fluent pressure differential.

Force is acceleration in verse fluent pressure differential.
Energy is in verse (equal and opposite) mass by space.time constant.
Mass accelerates toward relative velocity 0; energy holds v max.
Mass holds force as attraction; energy holds force as repulsion.
Gravity is in verse fluent pressure differential.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=310159
Space flows and falls into mass.

Peace
rwj

I do not Believe in force as dark epicycle in turn crystal sphere.
Space.time dark.monkeys called by sum as graviton is a different story.
All hail the god of gravitons.
Please forgive.
 
  • #7
"cosmological constant" now appears to be somewhat of a misnomer...Hubble's discovery of an accelerating universe makes the idea of a "constant" rather unappealing...it's very likely it is NOT a constant as Einstein originally envisioned...dark energy, currently seen as the driving force behind expansion, may have a life of it's own analogous in some respects perhaps to radioactive decay at certain times and of powering expansion cycles of varying strengths at other times.

In inflationary models of the universe, a period of faster than light expansion at the beginning moments is now supplemented by an unexplained expansion due to an unrelated energy source...dark energy... which powers the current acceleration; In the Ekyprotic cyclic model of Steinhardt and Turok, Guth's inflation is replaced with varying modes of dark energy in a cyclic (repeating) model...also supported by Guth!..no infinite "big bang" is required...
 
  • #8
a – inflation.repulsion

Naty1 said:
In inflationary models of the universe, a period of faster than light expansion at the beginning moments is now supplemented by an unexplained expansion due to an unrelated energy source...dark energy... which powers the current acceleration;

Attraction and repulsion are states by force.
Force is acceleration in verse fluent pressure differential.
Energy is in verse mass by space.time constant.
Newton.bernoulli.einstein.et.al.

Gravity is acceleration in verse fluent pressure differential.
Inflation.repulsion is in verse same force by basic physics model.

Peace
rwj

q - What happens as force as energy exceeds space.time constant?
q - What happens as energy is re-released by countless suns over endless time?
 

1. What is the cosmological constant and what is its significance?

The cosmological constant, denoted by the Greek letter lambda (Λ), is a term in Einstein's theory of general relativity that represents the energy density of the vacuum of space. It is essentially a measure of the expansion rate of the universe. Its significance lies in its role in explaining the accelerating expansion of the universe.

2. What is the "God" particle and why is it important?

The "God" particle, also known as the Higgs boson, is a subatomic particle that is theorized to give other particles their mass. Its discovery in 2012 confirmed the existence of the Higgs field, a fundamental component of the Standard Model of particle physics. Its importance lies in its role in understanding the origin of mass and providing evidence for the validity of the Standard Model.

3. How are the cosmological constant and the "God" particle related?

There is no direct relationship between the cosmological constant and the "God" particle. However, both have significant implications for our understanding of the universe and its fundamental laws. The cosmological constant helps explain the expansion of the universe, while the "God" particle sheds light on the nature of particles and their interactions.

4. Does the existence of the cosmological constant and the "God" particle prove the existence of a higher power?

No, the existence of these concepts does not prove the existence of a higher power. They are scientific explanations for observable phenomena and do not necessarily have any theological implications. However, some people may interpret them as evidence for the existence of a higher power.

5. What are the current theories and research surrounding the cosmological constant and the "God" particle?

There is ongoing research and debate about the exact nature of the cosmological constant and the behavior of the Higgs boson. Some theories suggest that the cosmological constant may vary over time, while others propose alternative explanations for the accelerating expansion of the universe. As for the "God" particle, scientists are working to further understand its properties and potential implications for particle physics and the origin of the universe.

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