Abstract
Astrophysics has given empirical evidence for the cosmological constant that accelerates the expansion of the universe. Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics have proven experimentally that the quantum vacuum exerts forces - the van der Waals and Casimir forces - on neutral matter. It has long been conjectured (Zel'dovich, 1968) that the two empirical facts, the cosmological constant and the Casimir force, have a common theoretical explanation, but all attempts of deriving both from a unified theory in quantitative detail have not been successful so far. In AMO Physics, Lifshitz theory has been the standard theoretical tool for describing the measured forces of the quantum vacuum. This paper develops a version of Lifshitz theory that also accounts for the electromagnetic contribution to the cosmological constant. Assuming that the other fields of the Standard Model behave similarly, gives a possible quantum-optical explanation for what has been called dark energy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 167973 |
| Number of pages | 29 |
| Journal | Annals of Physics |
| Volume | 411 |
| Early online date | 23 Sept 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2019 |
Funding
Acknowledgements - This work was inspired by curious and courageous students (in alphabetical order): Yael Avni, Nimrod Nir, Itay Griniasty, Sahar Sahebdivan, and William Simpson. I also thank Mikhail Isachenkov, Ephraim Shahmoon, and Anna and Yana Zilberg for discussions, support and inspiration. The European Research Council, the Israel Science Foundation, and the Murray B. Koffler Professorial Chair, Israel supported the work financially.