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

"All the quantum perturbations that should blow up the value of the cosmological constant are rendered inert by this topology, which keeps the constant's value stable."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026

"It also ends up becoming quantized for topological reasons. There turn out to be constraints in the theory that force the cosmological constant to take certain allowed quantized values."

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

Their work suggests that a mathematical feature of space-time itself may prevent the cosmological constant from ballooning to the huge values expected from quantum physics.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026

A good example of this was Einstein, who called the cosmological constant, which he introduced when he was trying to make a static model of the universe, the biggest mistake of his life.

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