Dark Energy in Light of the Cosmic Horizon

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on Fulvio Melia's paper "Dark Energy in Light of the Cosmic Horizon," which argues against the viability of a cosmological constant in explaining the Universe's accelerating expansion. The paper posits that the cosmic horizon R0 equals ct0, suggesting an older universe of approximately 16.9 billion years, which could resolve several cosmological issues. However, participants highlight significant flaws, including the model's failure to address the substructure problem and its inconsistency with Type Ia supernova data. The consensus is that any new cosmological model must comprehensively explain all observational data, not just select aspects.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of cosmological models, specifically Lambda Cold Dark Matter (LCDM)
  • Familiarity with Type Ia supernovae and their role in cosmology
  • Knowledge of cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations and their implications
  • Basic grasp of dark energy concepts and their significance in astrophysics
NEXT STEPS
  • Investigate the implications of dark energy models on cosmic structure formation
  • Study the role of Type Ia supernovae in measuring cosmic distances
  • Examine the latest findings on cosmic microwave background observations
  • Explore alternative cosmological models that address the substructure problem
USEFUL FOR

Astronomers, astrophysicists, and cosmologists interested in the current debates surrounding dark energy, cosmic expansion, and the validity of existing cosmological models.

  • #31
Recent post on this issue: http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/1001.4795

Interestingly (and I say so as an author), the time average of the deceleration parameter
appears to be very close to zero.


Through the Looking Glass: Why the "Cosmic Horizon" is not a horizon
Authors: Pim van Oirschot, Juliana Kwan, Geraint F. Lewis
(Submitted on 26 Jan 2010)

Abstract: The present standard model of cosmology, $\Lambda$CDM, contains some intriguing coincidences. Not only are the dominant contributions to the energy density approximately of the same order at the present epoch, but we note that contrary to the emergence of cosmic acceleration as a recent phenomenon, the time averaged value of the deceleration parameter over the age of the universe is nearly zero. Curious features like these in $\Lambda$CDM give rise to a number of alternate cosmologies being proposed to remove them, including models with an equation of state w = -1/3. In this paper, we examine the validity of some of these alternate models and we also address some persistent misconceptions about the Hubble sphere and the event horizon that lead to erroneous conclusions about cosmology.

Comments: Accepted for publication by MNRAS, 6 pages, 3 figures
Subjects: Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
Cite as: arXiv:1001.4795v1 [astro-ph.CO]
 

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