cosmological constant

noun

: a constant term used in the relativistic equations for gravity to represent a repulsive force which may account in part for the rate of expansion of the universe

Examples of cosmological constant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One is that dark energy is a cosmological constant, an unchanging property of space, which would mean that the universe will continue to expand indefinitely, sweeping far-off objects forever beyond our local point of view. —Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 8 Nov. 2023

The masses of the postulated dark gravitons are, roughly speaking, an integer times a constant, M, whose value is tied to the cosmological constant. —Steve Nadis, WIRED, 25 Feb. 2024

But in an ironic twist, the one thing the dark dimension hypothesis cannot explain is why the cosmological constant is so staggeringly small—a puzzling fact that essentially initiated this whole line of inquiry. —Steve Nadis, WIRED, 25 Feb. 2024

But in an ironic twist, the one thing the dark dimension hypothesis cannot explain is why the cosmological constant is so staggeringly small — a puzzling fact that essentially initiated this whole line of inquiry. —Steve Nadis, Quanta Magazine, 1 Feb. 2024

So is this issue with the cosmological constant being so small, is that the main problem that the vacuum poses? —Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 26 July 2023

The fact that the vacuum energy density the cosmological constant has, this very tiny value is certainly one of the most puzzling. —Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 26 July 2023

Chief among them is the cosmological constant, which is essentially the mathematical equivalent of dark energy. —Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 13 July 2023

And the cosmological constant, in turn, is thought to get its energy from the vacuum. —Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above