Acceleration of the Universe, String Theory and a Varying Speed of Light

Abstract

The existence of future horizons in spacetime geometries poses serious problems for string theory and quantum field theories. The observation that the expansion of the universe is accelerating has recently been shown to lead to a crisis for the mathematical formalism of string and M-theories, since the existence of a future horizon for an eternally accelerating universe does not allow the formulation of physical S-matrix observables. Postulating that the speed of light varies in an expanding universe in the future as well as in the past can eliminate future horizons, allowing for a consistent definition of S-matrix observables.

8 pages, LaTeX file, no figures. Minor typos corrected. Two references added