Accelerating universe with time variation of G and Λ

We study a gravitational model in which scale transformations play the key role in obtaining dynamical G and Λ. We take a non-scale invariant gravitational action with a cosmological constant and a gravitational coupling constant. Then, by a scale transformation, through a dilaton field, we obtain a new action containing cosmological and gravitational coupling terms which are dynamically dependent on the dilaton field with Higgs type potential. The vacuum expectation value of this dilaton field, through spontaneous symmetry breaking on the basis of anthropic principle, determines the time variations of G and Λ. The relevance of these time variations to the current acceleration of the universe, coincidence problem, Mach’s cosmological coincidence and those problems of standard cosmology addressed by inflationary models, are discussed. The current acceleration of the universe is shown to be a result of phase transition from radiation toward matter dominated eras. No real coincidence problem between matter and vacuum energy densities exists in this model and this apparent coincidence together with Mach’s cosmological coincidence are shown to be simple consequences of a new kind of scale factor dependence of the energy momentum density as ρ∼a ⁻⁴. This model also provides the possibility for a super fast expansion of the scale factor at very early universe by introducing exotic type matter like cosmic strings.     

Anisotropic cosmological models with bulk viscosity for variable <Emphasis Type="Italic">G</Emphasis> and Λ

In this paper we have considered axially symmetric Bianchi-I, Kantowski Sachs and Bianchi-III space-time models with bulk viscosity, where the gravitational constant G and the cosmological term Λ vary with time. In Einstein equations this variation in G and Λ are taken in such a way as to preserve the energy momentum tensor. Solutions are obtained with the cosmological term varying inversely with square of time.     

Bianchi type I two-fluid cosmological models with a variable G and Λ

This paper presents anisotropic, homogeneous two-fluid cosmological models in a Bianchi type I space–time with a variable gravitational constant G and cosmological constant Λ. In the two-fluid model, one fluid represents the matter content of the universe and another fluid is chosen to model the CMB radiation. We find a variety of solutions in which the cosmological parameter varies inversely with time t. We also discuss in detail the behavior of associated fluid parameters and kinematical parameters. This paper pictures cosmic history when the radiation and matter content of the universe are in an interactive phase. Here, Ω is closing to 1 throughout the cosmic evolution.      

Contribution of Vacuum Field to Angular Deviation of Light Path and Radar Echo Delay

The discovery of ‘twin quasistellar objects’ arose interests among astronomers and astrophysicists to study gravitational lensing problems. The deviation of light from its straight line path is caused by two sources according to the general theory of relativity: (i) the presence of massive objects, i.e. the presence of gravitational field and (ii) the presence of a ‘vacuum field’ which arises because there is a non-zero cosmological vacuum energy. Recently, the research on the relationship between cosmological constant and gravitational lensing process is rather active (see reference [1, 2, 3]. According to the Kottler space time metric, we have deduced an explicit representation of the angular deviation of light path. The deviation term is found to be simply , where M is the mass of the ‘astronomical lens’, r_min is the distance between the point of nearest approach and the centre of M, other symbols have their usual meaning. The presence of this term may be meaningful to the study of cosmological constant using the concept of gravitational lensing; however more sophisticated analysis awaits. Consider a signal radar to be sent from one planet to another. We have found that the radar echo delay contributed by the existence of the cosmological constant Λ is expressible as This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

(An)Isotropic models in scalar and scalar-tensor cosmologies

We study how the constants G and Λ may vary in different theoretical models (general relativity with a perfect fluid, scalar cosmological models (“quintessence”) with and without interacting scalar and matter fields and a scalar-tensor model with a dynamical Λ) in order to explain some observational results. We apply the program outlined in section II to study three different geometries which generalize the FRW ones, which are Bianchi V, VII₀ and IX, under the self-similarity hypothesis. We put special emphasis on calculating exact power-law solutions which allow us to compare the different models. In all the studied cases we arrive at the conclusion that the solutions are isotropic and noninflationary while the cosmological constant behaves as a positive decreasing time function (in agreement with the current observations) and the gravitational constant behaves as a growing time function.     

Cosmological constraints from Chandra X-ray observations of galaxy clusters

Chandra X-ray observations of rich, dynamically relaxed galaxy clusters allow the properties of the X-ray gas and the total gravitating mass to be determined precisely. Here, we discuss how Chandra observations may be used as a powerful tool for cosmological studies. By combining Chandra X-ray results on the X-ray gas mass fractions in clusters with independent measurements of the Hubble constant and the mean baryonic matter density of the universe, we obtain a tight constraint on the mean total matter density of the universe, Ο_m, and an interesting constraint on the cosmological constant, Ο_Λ. Using these results, together with the observed local X-ray luminosity function of the most X-ray luminous galaxy clusters, a mass-luminosity relation determined from Chandra and ROSAT X-ray data and weak gravitational lensing observations, and the mass function predicted by numerical simulations, we obtain a precise constraint on the normalization of the power spectrum of density fluctuations in the nearby universe,σ₈. We compare our results with those obtained from other, independent methods. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Einstein-Like Equations with Coupled-to-Matter Λ Term

We consider Einstein-like gravitational equations with Λ term proportional to the trace of the energy tensor. The possibility of Lagrangian formulation is shortly discussed. The theory is consistent with the present-day observations, both at the local and cosmological level. Horizon-free cosmological solutions are found and discussed. The initial condition S(0) = 0 (where S(t) is the expansion factor and t the cosmic time) requires hyperbolic space. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cosmological implications and structure formation from a time varying vacuum

We study the dynamics of the Friedmann–Lemaitre–Robertson–Walker (FLRW) flat cosmological models in which the vacuum energy varies with time,  Λ( t )  . In this model, we find that the main cosmological functions such as the scale factor of the universe and the Hubble flow are defined in terms of exponential functions. Applying a joint likelihood analysis of the recent Type Ia supernovae data, the cosmic microwave background shift parameter and the baryonic acoustic oscillations traced by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) galaxies, we place tight constraints on the main cosmological parameters of the  Λ( t )  scenario. Also, we compare the  Λ( t )  model with the traditional Λ cosmology and we find that the former model provides a Hubble expansion which compares well with that of the Λ cosmology. However, the  Λ( t )  scenario predicts stronger small scale dynamics, which implies a faster growth rate of perturbations with respect to the usual Λ cosmology, despite the fact that they share the same equation of state parameter. In this framework, we find that galaxy clusters in the  Λ( t )  model appear to form earlier than in the Λ model.     

Anisotropic Cosmological Models with a Perfect Fluid and a Λ Term

We consider a self-consistent system of Bianchi type-I (BI) gravitational field and a binary mixture of perfect fluid and dark energy given by a cosmological constant. The perfect fluid is chosen to be the one obeying either the usual equation of state, i.e., p = ζ, with ζ ∊ [0, 1] or a van der Waals equation of state. Role of the Λ term in the evolution of the BI Universe has been studied.     

About universes with scale‐related total masses and their abolition of presently outstanding cosmological problems

The most recently celebrated cosmological implications of the cosmic microwave background studies with WMAP (2006), though fascinating by themselves, do, however, create some extremely hard conceptual challenges for the present‐day cosmology. These recent extremely refined WMAP observations seem to reflect a universe which was extremely homogeneous at the recombination age and thus is obviously causally closed at the time of the cosmic recombination era. From the very tiny fluctuations apparent at this early epoch the presently observable nonlinear cosmic density structures can, however, only have grown up, if in addition to a mysteriously high percentage of dark matter an even higher percentage of dark energy is admitted as drivers of the cosmic evolution. The required dark energy density, on the other hand, is nevertheless 120 orders of magnitude smaller then the theoretically calculated value. These are outstanding problems of present day cosmology onto which we are looking here under new auspices. We shall investigate in the following, up to what degree a universe simply abolishes all these outstanding problems in case it reveals itself as an universe of constant total energy. As we shall show basic questions like: How could the gigantic mass of the universe of about 10⁸⁰ proton masses at all become created? – Why is the presently recognized and obviously indispensable cosmic vacuum energy density so terribly much smaller than is expected from quantum theoretical considerations, but nevertheless terribly important for the cosmic evolution? – Why is the universe within its world horizon a causally closed system? –, can perhaps simply be answered, when the assumption is made that the universe has a constant total energy with the consequence that the total mass density of the universe (matter and vacuum) scales with . Such a scaling of matter and vacuum energy abolishes the horizon problem, and the cosmic vacuum energy density can easily be reconciled with its theoretical expectation values. In this model the mass of the universe increases linearly with the world extension R_u and can grow up from a Planck mass as a vacuum fluctuation. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Bulk viscous fluid hypersurface–homogeneous cosmological models with time varying G and Λ

Hypersurface–homogeneous cosmological models containing a bulk viscous fluid with time varying G and Λ have been presented. We have shown that the field equations are solvable for any arbitrary cosmic scale function. The viscosity coefficient of bulk viscous fluid is assumed to be a power function of the energy density. Exact solutions of Einstein’s field equations are obtained which represent an expanding, shearing and accelerating/decelerating models of the universe. The physical and kinematical behaviours of the models are also discussed.     

“Dark energy” in the Local Void

The unexpected discovery of the accelerated cosmic expansion in 1998 has filled the Universe with the embarrassing presence of an unidentified “dark energy”, or cosmological constant, devoid of any physical meaning. While this standard cosmology seems to work well at the global level, improved knowledge of the kinematics and other properties of our extragalactic neighborhood indicates the need for a better theory. We investigate whether the recently suggested repulsive-gravity scenario can account for some of the features that are unexplained by the standard model. Through simple dynamical considerations, we find that the Local Void could host an amount of antimatter (∼5×10¹⁵  M _⊙) roughly equivalent to the mass of a typical supercluster, thus restoring the matter-antimatter symmetry. The antigravity field produced by this “dark repulsor” can explain the anomalous motion of the Local Sheet away from the Local Void, as well as several other properties of nearby galaxies that seem to require void evacuation and structure formation much faster than expected from the standard model. At the global cosmological level, gravitational repulsion from antimatter hidden in voids can provide more than enough potential energy to drive both the cosmic expansion and its acceleration, with no need for an initial “explosion” and dark energy. Moreover, the discrete distribution of these dark repulsors, in contrast to the uniformly permeating dark energy, can also explain dark flows and other recently observed excessive inhomogeneities and anisotropies of the Universe.     

Full Causal Bulk Viscous LRS Bianchi I With Time Varying Constants

In this paper we study the evolution of a LRS Bianchi I Universe, filled with a bulk viscous cosmological fluid in the presence of time varying constants “but” taking into account the effects of a c-variable into the curvature tensor. We find that the only physical models are those which “constants” G and c are growing functions on time t, while the cosmological constant Λ is a negative decreasing function. In such solutions the energy density obeys the ultrastiff matter equation of state i.e. ω = 1.     

Quantum vacuum and virtual gravitational dipoles: the solution to the dark energy problem?

The cosmological constant problem is the principal obstacle in the attempt to interpret dark energy as the quantum vacuum energy. We suggest that the obstacle can be removed, i.e. that the cosmological constant problem can be resolved by assuming that the virtual particles and antiparticles in the quantum vacuum have the gravitational charge of the opposite sign. The corresponding estimates of the cosmological constant, dark energy density and the equation of state for dark energy are in the intriguing agreement with the observed values in the present day Universe. However, our approach and the Standard Cosmology lead to very different predictions for the future of the Universe; the exponential growth of the scale factor, predicted by the Standard Cosmology, is suppressed in our model.     

Can redshift discrepancies in galaxy systems be explained by low-frequency gravitational radiation? I. distant clusters

Some proposals have been made in recent years that extremely low-frequency cosmic gravitational radiation with wavelengths of the order megaparsecs and larger and with the cosmological energy density may be able to explain the virial mass discrepancy in at least some systems of galaxies. The question is rediscussed here with the result that — for all conceivable spectral densities — the gravitational wave influence on the propagation of light from a galaxy cluster does not solve redshift problem for rich and distant clusters — at least if waves with an energy density not exceeding the critical cosmological density are considered.     

Dark energy constraints on masses and sizes of large scale cosmic structures

The requirement that their gravitational binding self-energy density must at least equal the background repulsive dark energy density for large scale cosmic structures implies a mass-radius relation of \({M} / {R^{2}} \approx 1~\mbox{g}/{\mbox{cm}^{2}}\), as pointed out earlier. This relation seems to hold true for primeval galaxies as well as those at present epoch. This could set constraints on the nature and evolution of dark energy. Besides, we also set constraints on the size of galaxy clusters and superclusters due to the repulsive cosmological dark energy. This could indicate as to why large scale cosmic structures much larger than ～200 Mpc are not seen.     

An expanding Universe with constant pressure and no cosmological constant

Thanks to its fitting triumph, the ΛCDM paradigm is assumed to be the most powerful model, for describing the Universe dynamics, over much the myriad of cosmological models. Unfortunately, the quest of a self-consistent model remains not well explained, because it is not clear how to solve the problems of fine-tuning and coincidence, afflicting the ΛCDM framework; as a matter of fact, these theoretical drawbacks do not allow to consider the ΛCDM model, as the final picture of the modern cosmological scenario. Here, we show that the simplest model, which provides a constant equation of state for the pressure, leads to a generalization of ΛCDM, reducing to it in a particular case. Moreover, we highlight the physical mechanisms of this model, describing the thermodynamical reasons why a constant pressure should be negative in an expanding Universe. In addition, we fit the free parameters of our model by minimizing the chi square through the age differential method, involving a direct measurement of H.     

Black hole solutions in warped DGP brane world

Using the effective gravitational field equations in the warped DGP brane-world scenario (Maeda et al. in Phys. Rev. D 68:024033, 2003), we study spherically symmetric vacuum (static black hole) solutions on the brane. Working with a conformally flat bulk, we have obtained an exact Schwarzschild–de Sitter black hole solution similar to the standard solution in the presence of a cosmological constant, which confirms the idea that an extra term in the effective vacuum field equations on the warped DGP brane can play the role of a positive cosmological constant.     

Crossing the phantom divide with a classical Dirac field

In this paper we consider a spatially flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) cosmological model with cosmological constant, containing a stiff fluid and a classical Dirac field. The proposed cosmological scenario describes the evolution of effective dark matter and dark energy components reproducing, with the help of that effective multifluid configuration, the quintessential behavior. We find the value of the scale factor where the effective dark energy component crosses the phantom divide. The model we introduce, which can be considered as a modified ΛCDM one, is characterized by a set of parameters which may be constrained by the astrophysical observations available up to date.     

Dark energy and key physical parameters of clusters of galaxies

We study physics of clusters of galaxies embedded in the cosmic dark energy background. Under the assumption that dark energy is described by the cosmological constant, we show that the dynamical effects of dark energy are strong in clusters like the Virgo cluster. Specifically, the key physical parameters of the dark mater halos in clusters are determined by dark energy: (1) the halo cut-off radius is practically, if not exactly, equal to the zero-gravity radius at which the dark matter gravity is balanced by the dark energy antigravity; (2) the halo averaged density is equal to two densities of dark energy; (3) the halo edge (cut-off) density is the dark energy density with a numerical factor of the unity order slightly depending on the halo profile. The cluster gravitational potential well in which the particles of the dark halo (as well as galaxies and intracluster plasma) move is strongly affected by dark energy: the maximum of the potential is located at the zero-gravity radius of the cluster.