Metastable dark energy

We build a model of metastable dark energy, in which the observed vacuum energy is the value of the scalar potential at the false vacuum. The scalar potential is given by a sum of even self-interactions up to order six. The deviation from the Minkowski vacuum is due to a term suppressed by the Planc...

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Main Authors: Ricardo G. Landim, Elcio Abdalla
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2017-01-01
Series:Physics Letters B
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269316307079
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author Ricardo G. Landim
Elcio Abdalla
author_facet Ricardo G. Landim
Elcio Abdalla
author_sort Ricardo G. Landim
collection DOAJ
description We build a model of metastable dark energy, in which the observed vacuum energy is the value of the scalar potential at the false vacuum. The scalar potential is given by a sum of even self-interactions up to order six. The deviation from the Minkowski vacuum is due to a term suppressed by the Planck scale. The decay time of the metastable vacuum can easily accommodate a mean life time compatible with the age of the universe. The metastable dark energy is also embedded into a model with SU(2)R symmetry. The dark energy doublet and the dark matter doublet naturally interact with each other. A three-body decay of the dark energy particle into (cold and warm) dark matter can be as long as large fraction of the age of the universe, if the mediator is massive enough, the lower bound being at intermediate energy level some orders below the grand unification scale. Such a decay shows a different form of interaction between dark matter and dark energy, and the model opens a new window to investigate the dark sector from the point-of-view of particle physics.
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spelling doaj.art-5d99b3234ffa477086dfea05dce360342022-12-22T00:09:28ZengElsevierPhysics Letters B0370-26931873-24452017-01-01764C27127610.1016/j.physletb.2016.11.044Metastable dark energyRicardo G. LandimElcio AbdallaWe build a model of metastable dark energy, in which the observed vacuum energy is the value of the scalar potential at the false vacuum. The scalar potential is given by a sum of even self-interactions up to order six. The deviation from the Minkowski vacuum is due to a term suppressed by the Planck scale. The decay time of the metastable vacuum can easily accommodate a mean life time compatible with the age of the universe. The metastable dark energy is also embedded into a model with SU(2)R symmetry. The dark energy doublet and the dark matter doublet naturally interact with each other. A three-body decay of the dark energy particle into (cold and warm) dark matter can be as long as large fraction of the age of the universe, if the mediator is massive enough, the lower bound being at intermediate energy level some orders below the grand unification scale. Such a decay shows a different form of interaction between dark matter and dark energy, and the model opens a new window to investigate the dark sector from the point-of-view of particle physics.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269316307079Dark energyDark matterParticle physics
spellingShingle Ricardo G. Landim
Elcio Abdalla
Metastable dark energy
Physics Letters B
Dark energy
Dark matter
Particle physics
title Metastable dark energy
title_full Metastable dark energy
title_fullStr Metastable dark energy
title_full_unstemmed Metastable dark energy
title_short Metastable dark energy
title_sort metastable dark energy
topic Dark energy
Dark matter
Particle physics
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269316307079
work_keys_str_mv AT ricardoglandim metastabledarkenergy
AT elcioabdalla metastabledarkenergy