Challenging the Cosmological Constant

Abstract

We outline a dynamical dark energy scenario whose signatures may be simultaneously tested by astronomical observations and laboratory experiments. The dark energy is a field with slightly sub-gravitational couplings to matter, a logarithmic self-interaction potential with a scale tuned to $\sim 10^{-3} {\rm eV}$, as is usual in quintessence models, and an effective mass $m_\phi$ influenced by the environmental energy density. Its forces may be suppressed just below the current bounds by the chameleon-like mimicry, whereby only outer layers of mass distributions, of thickness $1/m_\phi$, give off appreciable long range forces. After inflation and reheating, the field is relativistic, and attains a Planckian expectation value before Hubble friction freezes it. This can make gravity in space slightly stronger than on Earth. During the matter era, interactions with nonrelativistic matter dig a minimum close to the Planck scale. However, due to its sub-gravitational matter couplings the field will linger away from this minimum until the matter energy density dips below $\sim 10^{-12} {\rm eV}^4$. Then it starts to roll to the minimum, driving a period of cosmic acceleration. Among the signatures of this scenario may be dark energy equation of state $w \ne -1$, stronger gravity in dilute mediums, that may influence BBN and appear as an excess of dark matter, and sub-millimeter corrections to Newton's law, close to the present laboratory limits.