Cosmological Constant, Quintessence and Scalar-Tensor Theories of Gravity

Abstract

We show how the scalar field, a candidate of quintessence, in a proposed model of the scalar-tensor theories of gravity provides a way to understand a small but nonzero cosmological constant as indicated by recent observations. A particular emphasis is placed on the effort to inherit the success of the scenario of a decaying cosmological constant. Discussions of a possible link to non-Newtonian gravity, the coincidence problem, the issue of time-variability of coupling constants as well as the chaos-like nature of the solution are also included in a new perspective.