31 Mar 1999 | Andrew G. Cohen, David B. Kaplan and Ann E. Nelson
This paper explores the relationship between effective field theory (EFT), black holes, and the cosmological constant. The authors propose a bound on the entropy of a system, $ S \leq \pi M_{P}^{2} L^{2} $, which suggests that quantum field theory breaks down in large volumes. To reconcile this with the success of local quantum field theory in describing particle physics, they propose a relationship between UV and IR cutoffs. This relationship implies that an effective field theory must have a specific constraint on the IR cutoff, which scales as $ \Lambda^{-2} $, and is more restrictive than the Bekenstein bound.
The authors argue that conventional EFTs fail to accurately describe the cosmological constant problem because they do not account for the IR cutoff constraint. They show that the maximum entropy in a box of volume $ L^3 $ is non-extensive, growing only as the area of the box. This implies that conventional 3+1 dimensional field theories overcount degrees of freedom. The authors propose that an effective local quantum field theory will be a good approximation of physics when the IR cutoff constraint is satisfied.
The paper also discusses the implications of this constraint for the cosmological constant problem. It shows that the quantum contribution to the vacuum energy density computed in perturbation theory is much larger than the empirical bound on the cosmological constant. However, if the IR cutoff is chosen to be comparable to the current horizon size, the resulting quantum energy density is consistent with current bounds without requiring fine-tuning.
The authors also discuss the implications of the IR and UV cutoff constraint for the calculation of the electron's $ (g-2) $ anomaly. They show that the minimal correction to $ (g-2) $ from the constrained IR and UV cutoffs is larger than the contribution from the top quark. This suggests that the constraint on the IR cutoff is more restrictive than the Bekenstein bound.
The paper concludes that the IR and UV cutoff constraint is necessary to describe the physics of black holes and their interactions with particles. It also suggests that this constraint may help resolve the enormous discrepancy between conventional estimates of the vacuum energy and the observed cosmological constant. The authors argue that the constraint on the IR cutoff is necessary to ensure that the effective field theory accurately describes the physics of systems containing black holes.This paper explores the relationship between effective field theory (EFT), black holes, and the cosmological constant. The authors propose a bound on the entropy of a system, $ S \leq \pi M_{P}^{2} L^{2} $, which suggests that quantum field theory breaks down in large volumes. To reconcile this with the success of local quantum field theory in describing particle physics, they propose a relationship between UV and IR cutoffs. This relationship implies that an effective field theory must have a specific constraint on the IR cutoff, which scales as $ \Lambda^{-2} $, and is more restrictive than the Bekenstein bound.
The authors argue that conventional EFTs fail to accurately describe the cosmological constant problem because they do not account for the IR cutoff constraint. They show that the maximum entropy in a box of volume $ L^3 $ is non-extensive, growing only as the area of the box. This implies that conventional 3+1 dimensional field theories overcount degrees of freedom. The authors propose that an effective local quantum field theory will be a good approximation of physics when the IR cutoff constraint is satisfied.
The paper also discusses the implications of this constraint for the cosmological constant problem. It shows that the quantum contribution to the vacuum energy density computed in perturbation theory is much larger than the empirical bound on the cosmological constant. However, if the IR cutoff is chosen to be comparable to the current horizon size, the resulting quantum energy density is consistent with current bounds without requiring fine-tuning.
The authors also discuss the implications of the IR and UV cutoff constraint for the calculation of the electron's $ (g-2) $ anomaly. They show that the minimal correction to $ (g-2) $ from the constrained IR and UV cutoffs is larger than the contribution from the top quark. This suggests that the constraint on the IR cutoff is more restrictive than the Bekenstein bound.
The paper concludes that the IR and UV cutoff constraint is necessary to describe the physics of black holes and their interactions with particles. It also suggests that this constraint may help resolve the enormous discrepancy between conventional estimates of the vacuum energy and the observed cosmological constant. The authors argue that the constraint on the IR cutoff is necessary to ensure that the effective field theory accurately describes the physics of systems containing black holes.