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arXiv · 2604.08659

A Lapse in the Cosmological Constant Problem

Justin Khoury·Benjamin Muntz·Antonio Padilla
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Abstract

We present a new mechanism for addressing the cosmological constant problem based on global constraints arising from a lapse function in a higher-dimensional gravitational theory. Inspired by Horava-Lifshitz gravity, we consider a 5d spacetime with anisotropic scaling along a compact extra dimension, while preserving Lorentz invariance in four dimensions. In the deep infrared limit, variation with respect to the lapse generates a global constraint on the 4d geometry, closely analogous to that of vacuum energy sequestering. Although the resulting effective gravitational equations differ from standard sequestering, radiative contributions to the Standard Model vacuum energy are nevertheless cancelled at all orders.

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Justin Khoury, Benjamin Muntz, Antonio Padilla. 2026-04-09. A Lapse in the Cosmological Constant Problem. https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.08659

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