Journal articleprimarysupportsVerified

Sinks in the Landscape, Boltzmann Brains, and the Cosmological Constant Problem

Andrei Linde · 2007 · Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, 2007(01), 022

Spiritual Evidence Map/Last updated May 10, 2026/Claims v1.0.0-provisional/Sources v1.0.0/Scores provisional

Summary

Studies the string-theory landscape with terminal vacua acting as 'sinks' that absorb probability flow, and shows that local descriptions of the inflationary multiverse suffer from the Boltzmann-brain problem unless decay into sinks is sufficiently rapid.

Why it matters here

Sets up one of the main physical pathways for resolving the paradox — vacuum decay into terminal states before BBs can dominate.

Linked claims

Evidence score 1/10

Boltzmann brains

In a long-lived, accelerating universe, random thermal fluctuations could spontaneously assemble a self-aware brain with false memories of a coherent life. Several modern cosmological models appear to predict such observers should statistically dominate — which is widely treated as a reason those models are wrong, not as evidence about you.

Related evidence hubs

Topic hub

Reality & Time

Physics-adjacent worldviews — block universe, many-worlds, simulation, free will.

Evidence pillar

Physics-adjacent worldview theories

Many-worlds, simulation, mathematical universe.

Evidence pillar

Skeptical frameworks

Cryptomnesia, anoxia models, cold reading. Counter-anchors.