A new cosmological constant model

Abstract

We propose a new cosmological model with a time-dependent cosmological constant ($\Lambda\propto 1/t^2$), which starting at the Planck time as $\Lambda_{Pl}\sim M^2_{Pl}$, evolves to the present-day allowed value of $\Lambda_0\sim10^{-120}M^2_{Pl}$. This scenario is supported by non-critical string theory considerations. We compute the age of the Universe and the time-dependence of the scale factor in this model, and find general agreement with recent determinations of the Hubble parameter for substantial values of $\Omega_{\rm \Lambda}$. This effectively low-density open Universe model differs from the traditional cosmological constant model, and has observable implications for particle physics and cosmology.