FRW pertubations in overdense and underdense regions

  • Context: Graduate 
  • Thread starter Thread starter center o bass
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the perturbed Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) spacetime as described in Dodelson's "Modern Cosmology," specifically Chapter 4.2. It clarifies that in an overdense region, the gravitational potentials are characterized by ##\Psi < 0## and ##\Phi > 0##, indicating that the extra mass from the overdensity behaves like a gravitating body. The Schwarzschild metric is referenced to illustrate the similarity between the perturbed FRW metric and the behavior of gravitational fields in general relativity.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) metric
  • Familiarity with the Schwarzschild metric in general relativity
  • Knowledge of gravitational potentials, specifically ##\Psi## and ##\Phi##
  • Basic concepts of cosmology as presented in Dodelson's "Modern Cosmology"
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the Boltzmann equation for photons in cosmological contexts
  • Explore the implications of gravitational potentials in perturbed FRW spacetimes
  • Learn about the relationship between mass density and gravitational effects in general relativity
  • Investigate the mathematical derivation of the Schwarzschild metric and its applications
USEFUL FOR

Cosmologists, physicists, and students of general relativity who are interested in the dynamics of perturbed FRW spacetimes and the implications of gravitational fields in cosmological models.

center o bass
Messages
545
Reaction score
2
I'm currently reading Dodelson's "Modern Cosmology" where he in Chapter 4.2 discuss the Boltzmann equation for photons and consider a perturbed FRW spacetime for which ##g_{00} = -1 - 2 \Psi## and ##g_{ij} = a^2 \delta_{ij}(1+2\Phi)##. At page 90 he states that "in an overdense region we have ##\Psi <0## and ##\Phi >0##. Why is this true?
 
Space news on Phys.org
center o bass said:
"in an overdense region we have Ψ<0\Psi 0. Why is this true?

I'm not an expert in this area, so I can't give the "standard" answer for why it's true, but I can explain why it seems reasonable to me. Consider the Schwarzschild metric, for which ##g_{00} = - \left( 1 - 2M / r \right) = -1 + 2M / r## and ##g_{rr} = 1 / \left( 1 - 2M / r \right) \approx 1 + 2M / r## (where we are using an approximation in which ##M / r## is small so we can ignore quadratic and higher terms). This obviously looks a lot like the perturbed FRW metric; in fact, if we put the FRW metric in spherical coordinates, the two are the same (except for the scale factor ##a^2##) if we set ##\Psi = - M / r## and ##\Phi = M / r##. So basically, what Dodelson is saying is that in an overdense region, the extra mass (due to the overdensity) acts like an ordinary gravitating body.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
1K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
4K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
4K