论宇宙常数的意义

The Meaning of the Cosmological Constant

宇宙常数是爱因斯坦为得到稳态宇宙而引入引力场方程的一个常数。虽然宇宙膨胀的发现已否定了爱因斯坦的稳态宇宙模型,但是对宇宙常数意义的探寻却始终兴盛不衰。本文论及宇宙常数在历史上几次重要的宇宙学理论问题上的有益尝试,对宇宙常数的探索过程丰富了科学理论创新的实践,同时指出宇宙常数将引发人们对引力理论、真空能量表述等基本问题的更进一步的思考。

The original introduction of the cosmological constant in Einstein's field equations was to construct a static closed model for the Universe, which was shown to be incorrect when the expansion of the Universe was discovered. The debate on the meaning of the cosmological constant, however, has still been going on. In this paper, we investigate the solutions with the cosmological constant to some of the important questions in the history of the theory of cosmology and indicate a further research on such fundamental theoretical questions as gravity theory and vacuum energy, considering the role of the cosmological constant.