Variation of cosmological constant with time

[kalish]

Hello, in the paper from sean carroll "the cosmological constant" we can read this:

In the Weinberg-Salam electroweak model, the phases of broken
and unbroken symmetry are distinguished by a potential energy difference of approximately
MEW ∼ 200 GeV (where 1 GeV = 1.6 × 10−3 erg); the universe is in the broken-symmetry
phase during our current low-temperature epoch, and is believed to have been in the symmet-
ric phase at sufficiently high temperatures in the early universe. The effective cosmological
constant is therefore different in the two epochs; absent some form of prearrangement, we
would naturally expect a contribution to the vacuum energy today of order

Does this variation of the cosmological constant after symetry breaking is considered as real and accepted in standard cosmology? I find very few talks about a varying cosmological constant, and it is about border line theories. Is it set at the value actually observed in the whole evolution of the universe?

Best.

 

[bcrowell]

If you want us to discuss the paper, please give us a journal reference, or preferably a URL on arxiv.org.

 

[Mentz114]

This is it. I happened to be looking for a variable cosmological 'constant' myself.

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0004075

I think Carrolls views on this are mainstream, or at least not too near the left bank.

 

[kalish]

I think this is also mainstream cause I read it in other papers, but I didn't find a discussion about the cosmological implication. This is kind of weird, If the current cosmological constant is really tiny, then how a tiny constant less a big contribution can not be negative and affect the cosmological models??