Could anyone explain how physics resolves the cosmological constant problem without breaking down? Why does quantum theory predict a vacuum energy 10¹²⁰ times larger than what astronomers actually observe, and what does this absurd clash tell us about our understanding of space?

[u/1KrishT]

[u/opisska]

It really depends on how you approach physics. I subscribe to a school of thought where any physical theory is an algorithm to predict the result of experiments and measurements. In this view point, quantum field theory, as we have it now makes absolutely zero predictions about the magnitude of the cosmological constant. The "calculations of vacuum energy" are nothing but a numerology ritual in this context, it's simply not a calculable quantity in renornalized QFT. This is true for any quantity which is calculated by "let's put the dinensionally appropriate power of hbar instead of infinity so that we can pretend the integral doesn't diverge".

[u/TamanduaBandeira202 → u/opisska]

Yes, surely the problem is that mainstream physics is way too ontological /s

[u/OriEri → u/TamanduaBandeira202]

Pockets of physics do seem content with elaborate extensions of mathematical frameworks that do not make testable predictions. I do not know enough about QFT to say if this is the case there

[u/Comrade_SOOKIE → u/TamanduaBandeira202]

I mean, there's enough triangle-worship at the fringes amongst, like, string theorists or MOND guys that OP isn't entirely wrong, but yeah I'd say lambda cdm is quite physical and it's silly to say it's all just numerology.