Conformally coupled scalar field solutions and the cosmological constant

Solutions are presented for a scalar field coupled conformally to Einstein gravity with a nonvanishing cosmological constant, in the case that the spacetime metric is spatially homogeneous and isotropic. Since the cosmological constant destroys the conformal invariance of the action, these solutions cannot be obtained by solving the flat space wave equation for the scalar field. It turns out that the metric is determined entirely by the cosmological constant, while the scalar field acquires an apparent mass squared which is proportional to the cosmological constant. It is conjectured that the cosmological constant in the universe at present may thus be disguised as the mass of some scalar field.