Dark energy and conservation of energy

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the relationship between dark energy and the conservation of energy within the framework of General Relativity (GR). It references Sean Carroll's article, which argues that energy conservation is not straightforward in an expanding universe, and highlights that stress-energy is locally conserved but not globally. The conversation emphasizes the importance of defining "conservation of energy" clearly, as interpretations vary, particularly regarding different types of dark energy, such as the cosmological constant and quintessence. John Baez's insights are also mentioned, noting that acceptance of pseudotensors can influence the conservation status of energy in GR.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of General Relativity (GR)
  • Familiarity with dark energy concepts, including cosmological constant and quintessence
  • Knowledge of energy conservation principles in physics
  • Awareness of pseudotensors in the context of GR
NEXT STEPS
  • Read Sean Carroll's article on energy conservation in an expanding universe
  • Explore John Baez's explanations on energy in General Relativity
  • Investigate the implications of pseudotensors on energy conservation in GR
  • Study the differences between cosmological constant and quintessence in relation to energy conservation
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, cosmologists, and students of General Relativity seeking to understand the complexities of energy conservation in the context of dark energy and the expanding universe.

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TL;DR
Conservation of energy and different types of dark energy
According to this Sean Carroll article, “https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2010/02/22/energy-is-not-conserved/
And other threads in here, depending on your definition of energy, dark energy does not violate conservation of energy, my questions is if this is true regardless of the type of dark energy (e.g cosmological constant, quintessence, etc.)

some threads that discussed this topic.
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/does-spacetime-absorb-energy-in-general-relativity.1013951/


https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...n-in-general-relativity.1060029/#post-7061167
 
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Even in a universe without dark energy, energy is not conserved globally. Stress-energy is always locally conserved in GR.

Edit: Also, referring to ”some threads” is unhelpful. Please provide specific examples or we have no way of knowing what you are referring to.
 
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Orodruin said:
Even in a universe without dark energy, energy is not conserved globally. Stress-energy is always locally conserved in GR.

Edit: Also, referring to ”some threads” is unhelpful. Please provide specific examples or we have no way of knowing what you are referring to.
yes I understand that but like Sean Carrol points out in his article. there are some people who prefer to say that energy is conserved in an expanding universe. My question was if the type of dark energy used changes anything.
 
OCD said:
there are some people who prefer to say that energy is conserved in an expanding universe.
Without a better reference that "some people" there is just no way that we can answer your question sensibly.

One of the things that you will have gotten from that Sean Carroll piece (which is just scratching the surface of a very complex problem) is that in GR conservation of energy is complicated enough that when someone is taking about it the first step is to be clear on exactly what they mean by "conservation of energy".
 
Nugatory said:
Without a better reference that "some people" there is just no way that we can answer your question sensibly. One of the things that you will have gotten from that Sean Carroll piece (which is just scratching the surface of a very complex problem) is that in GR conservation of energy is complicated enough that when someone is taking about it the first step is to be clear on exactly what they mean by "conservation of energy".
Okay for example john baez in https://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/GR/energy_gr.html says that it depends on your definition of energy to determine whether or not is conserved in GR, more specifically he says that if you accept pseudotensors energy is conserved in GR, does the type of dark energy changes anything here?
 

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