Cosmological and astrophysical probes of vacuum energy

摘要: Vacuum energy changes during cosmological phase transitions and becomes relatively important at epochs just before transitions. For a viable cosmol-ogy the vacuum after transition must be set by critical temperature of next transition, which exposes constant problem from different angle. Here we propose to experimentally test properties under circumstances our current vacuum. One promising avenue is consider effect high density phases QCD in neutron stars. Such have expectation values normal phase, can contribute an order one fraction mass Precise observations stars potentially yield information about gravitational energy, significantly affect their mass-radius relation. A more direct cosmic evolution could inferred precise observation primordial wave spectrum frequencies corresponding While traditional cosmology predicts steps determined number degrees freedom both for electroweak transitions, adjustment mechanism change this. In addition, there might other where show up as peak spectrum.