Cosmic acceleration as the solution to the cosmological constant problem∗

In this paper we provide both a diagnosis and resolution of the cosmological constant problem, one in which a large (as opposed to a small) cosmological constant Λ can be made compatible with observation. We trace the origin of the cosmological constant problem to the assumption that the local gravitational Newton constant G (as measured in a Cavendish experiment) sets the scale for global cosmology. And then we show that once this assumption is relaxed, the very same cosmic acceleration which has served to make the cosmological constant problem so very severe can instead then serve to provide us with its potential resolution. In particular, we present an alternate cosmology, one based on conformal gravity, a theory whose effective cosmological Geff not only differs from the Cavendish one by being altogether smaller than it, but, by even being explicitly negative, naturally leads to cosmological repulsion. We show in the conformal theory, that once given only that the sign of Λ is specifically the negative one associated with spontaneous scale symmetry breaking, then, that alone, no matter how big Λ might actually be in magnitude, is sufficient to not only make the actually measurable contribution 8πGeffΛ/3cH(t0) of Λ to current era cosmology naturally be of order one today, but to even do so in a way which is fully compatible with the recent high z supernovae cosmology data. Thus to solve the cosmological constant problem we do not need to change or quench the energy content of the universe, but rather we only need change its effect on cosmic evolution. I. DIAGNOSIS OF THE COSMOLOGICAL CONSTANT PROBLEM The recent discovery [1,2] of a cosmic acceleration has made the already extremely disturbing cosmological constant problem even more vexing than before. Specifically, a phenomenological fitting to the new high z supernovae Hubble plot data using the standard Einstein-Friedmann cosmological evolution equations ∗astro-ph/9910093 v3, May 1, 2001