cosmological constant

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. a term introduced by Einstein into his field equations of general relativity to permit a stationary, nonexpanding universe: it has since been abandoned in most models of the universe.

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Etymology

Origin of cosmological constant

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cosmological constant

In fact, calculations suggest the cosmological constant should be extraordinarily large, effectively approaching infinity.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026

The researchers found that the cosmological constant in the CSK framework appears to benefit from the same kind of topological protection seen in the quantum Hall effect.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026

The actual value of the cosmological constant is incredibly small compared with what theory predicts.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026

Rather than disappearing from the story, the cosmological constant suddenly became essential again because it could account for this accelerating expansion.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026

Since the universe would already be expanding just as in the hot big bang model, the repulsive effect of this cosmological constant would therefore have made the universe expand at an ever-increasing rate.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking