Can superhorizon perturbations drive the acceleration of the Universe?
Creators
- 1. Laboratory for Elementary Particle Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States)
Description
It has recently been suggested that the acceleration of the Universe can be explained as the backreaction effect of superhorizon perturbations using second order perturbation theory. If this mechanism is correct, it should also apply to a hypothetical, gedanken universe in which the subhorizon perturbations are absent. In such a gedanken universe it is possible to compute the deceleration parameter q0 measured by comoving observers using local covariant Taylor expansions rather than using second order perturbation theory. The result indicates that second order corrections to q0 are present, but shows that if q0 is negative then its magnitude is constrained to be less than or of the order of the square of the peculiar velocity on Hubble scales today. We argue that, since this quantity is constrained by observations to be small compared to unity, superhorizon perturbations cannot be responsible for the acceleration of the Universe
Additional details
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1103/PhysRevD.71.103521;
- arXiv
- arXiv:hep-th/0503202v3;
Publishing Information
- Journal Title
- Physical Review. D, Particles Fields
- Journal Volume
- 71
- Journal Issue
- 10
- Journal Page Range
- p. 103521-103521.5
- ISSN
- 0556-2821
- CODEN
- PRVDAQ
INIS
- Country of Publication
- United States
- Country of Input or Organization
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
- INIS RN
- 37023621
- Subject category
- S72: PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS;
- Descriptors DEI
- ACCELERATION; CORRECTIONS; COSMOLOGY; DISTURBANCES; GRAVITATION; NONLUMINOUS MATTER; PERTURBATION THEORY; UNIVERSE
- Descriptors DEC
- MATTER
Optional Information
- Notes
- (c) 2005 The American Physical Society