2002 (IPP)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://localhost:4000/handle/11007/627
Browse
2 results
Search Results
Item Cosmological constant problem and quintessence(2011-07-06) Sahni, VarunI briefly review the cosmological constant problem and the issue of dark energy (or quintessence). Within the framework of quantum field theory, the vacuum expectation value of the energy momentum tensor formally diverges as k4. A cutoff at the Planck or electroweak scale leads to a cosmological constant which is, respectively, 10123 or 1055 times larger than the observed value, Λ/8πG ≃ 10−47 GeV4. The absence of a fundamental symmetry which could set the value of Λ to either zero or a very small value leads to the cosmological constant problem. Most cosmological scenario’s favour a large time-dependent Λ-term in the past (in order to generate inflation at z ≫ 1010), and a small Λ-term today, to account for the current acceleration of the universe at z < ∼ 1. Constraints arising from cosmological nucleosynthesis, CMB and structure formation constrain Λ to be sub-dominant during most of the intermediate epoch 1010 < z < 1. This leads to the cosmic coincidence conundrum which suggests that the acceleration of the universe is a recent phenomenon and that we live during a special epoch when the density in Λ and in matter are almost equal. Time varying models of dark energy can, to a certain extent, ameliorate the fine tuning problem (faced by Λ), but do not resolve the puzzle of cosmic coincidence. I briefly review tracker models of dark energy, as well as more recent brane inspired ideas and the issue of horizons in an accelerating universe. Model independent methods which reconstruct the cosmic equation of state from supernova observations are also assessed. Finally, a new diagnostic of dark energy – ‘Statefinder’, is discussed.Item Braneworld models of dark energy(2011-07-06) Sahni, Varun; Shtanov, YuriWe explore a new class of braneworld models in which the scalar curvature of the (induced) brane metric contributes to the brane action. The scalar curvature term arises generically on account of one-loop effects induced by matter fields residing on the brane. Spatially flat braneworld models can en- ter into a regime of accelerated expansion at late times. This is true even if the brane tension and the bulk cosmological constant are tuned to satisfy the Randall–Sundrum constraint on the brane. Braneworld models admit a wider range of possibilities for dark energy than standard LCDM. In these models the luminosity distance can be both smaller and larger than the lu- minosity distance in LCDM. Whereas models with dL ≤ dL(LCDM) imply w = p/ρ ≥ −1 and have frequently been discussed in the literature, mod- els with dL > dL(LCDM) have traditionally been ignored, perhaps because within the general-relativistic framework, the luminosity distance has this property only if the equation of state of matter is strongly negative (w < −1). Within the conventional framework, ‘phantom energy’ with w < −1 is beset with a host of undesirable properties, which makes this model of dark en- ergy unattractive. Braneworld models, on the other hand, have the capacity to endow dark energy with exciting new possibilities (including w < −1) without suffering from the problems faced by phantom energy. For a subclass of parameter values, braneworld dark energy and the acceleration of the universe are transient phenomena. In these models, the universe, after the current period of acceleration, re-enters the matter-dominated regime so that the deceleration parameter q(t) → 0.5 when t ≫ t0, where t0 is the present epoch. Such models could help reconcile an accelerating universe with the requirements of string/M-theory.