Speaker
Description
The cosmological constant problem remains one of the deepest puzzles in effective field theory and cosmology. In this talk, I will show how four-form field strengths offer model builders a valuable tool to tackle this challenge. I begin by reframing the problem using the infinite-wavelength (spacetime-averaged) trace of the gravitational equations. I then review and explore two main directions: first, how four-forms can make the cosmological constant dynamically adjustable, how charged membranes scan a landscape of vacua, and whether this requires anthropic selection or could instead follow from probabilistic dynamics. In the second part, I discuss a different role for four-forms in vacuum energy sequestering and present new ideas for embedding this and related mechanisms in higher-dimensional constructions.
