Mr. Baugher,
very interesting and insightful essay. I am especially intrigued by this explanation you posted a few days ago and its conclusion:
" The derivation of GR requires curvature to go to zero (Ruv=0)with no matter or energy present, but the presence of a cosmological constant means that we must ignore this requirement. Using a unimodular approach, and prior to defining the Einstein tensor, this requirement can still be enforced and end up with a constant of integration in the equations. It would seem that the value of this constant is large but would appear small to us due to the simultaneous change in our understanding of the Einstein tensor. This change should pass down through the weak field equations, but the main way we would notice is that gravity would appear to become repulsive after a certain radius. "
Is there a way to ruffly estimate this radius? I have a visual approach to physics and understand GR as if it describes the curvature of a 3D hypersurface of a hypersphere, similar to a 2D surface of water in the ocean, with the troughs of the waves corresponding to attractive gravity and the crests, repulsive. To paraphrase the saying, my geometrical approach (in 4D) states that "what curves in must eventually curve out", which implies that the repulsive aspect of gravity manifests itself in intergalactic voids, thus explaining why they are empty. In this regard, I would very much appreciate your feedback on my essay ( fqxi.org/community/forum/topic/1547 )
I wish I could follow the technical aspect of your essay, but intuitively I feel that yours is one the most important essays in this contest.