Casimir Dark Energy, Stabilization of the Extra Dimensions and Gauss-Bonnet Term

Abstract

Casimir dark energy model in five-dimensional and six-dimensional spacetime including non-relativistic matter and Gauss-Bonnet term is investigated. The Casimir energy can play the role of dark energy to drive the late-time acceleration of the universe while the radius of the extra dimensions can be stabilized. The qualitative analysis in radion picture in four-dimensional spacetime shows that the contribution from Gauss-Bonnet term will effectively slow down the radion field at the beginning time. Therefore, the radion field does not pass minimum point of the effective potential before the minimum of the potential exists. This leads to the stabilizing mechanism of the extra dimensions eventually.