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The current acceleration of the universe can be modeled in terms of a cosmological constant Λ. We show that the extremely small value of [Formula: see text], the holy grail of theoretical physics, can be understood in terms of a new, dimensionless, conserved number Cosmic Mode Index (CosMIn), which counts the number of modes crossing the Hubble radius during the three phases of evolution of the universe. Theoretical considerations suggest that N ≈ 4π. This single postulate leads us to the correct, observed numerical value of the cosmological constant! This approach also provides a unified picture of cosmic evolution relating the early inflationary phase to the late accelerating phase.
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Padmanabhan et al. (2013) studied this question.
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