The Vacuum Energy in a Condensate Model for Spacetime

Abstract

It is shown that a simple model for 4-dimensional quantum gravity based on a 3-dimensional generalization of anyon superconductivity can be regarded as a discrete form of Polyakov's string theory. This suggests that there is a universal negative pressure that is on the order of the string tension divided by the square of the Robertson-Walker scale factor. This is in accord with recent observations of the brightness of distant supernovae, which suggest that at the present time there is a vacuum energy whose magnitude is close to the mass density of an Einstein-de Sitter universe.