Status of Cosmological Parameters: Can $\Omega=1$?
Abstract
I discuss the Hubble parameter , the age of the universe , the density , and the cosmological constant . To focus the discussion, I concentrate on the issue of the value of the density in currently popular cosmological models in which most of the dark matter is cold, especially Cold + Hot Dark Matter (CHDM) and flat low- CDM with a Cosmological Constant (CDM). The evidence would favor a small if (1) the Hubble parameter actually has the high value favored by many observers, and the age of the universe Gy; or (2) the baryonic/total mass ratio in clusters is actually \%, about 3-4 times larger than expected for standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis in an universe, and standard BBN is actually right in predicting that the density of ordinary matter lies in the range . The evidence would favor if (1) the POTENT analysis of galaxy peculiar velocity data is right, in particular regarding outflows from voids or the inability to obtain the present-epoch non-Gaussian density distribution from Gaussian initial fluctuations in a low- universe; or (2) the preliminary report from LSND indicating a neutrino mass eV is right, since that would be too much hot dark matter to allow significant structure formation in a low- CDM model. Statistics on gravitational lensing of quasars provide a strong upper limit on . Reliable data on all of these issues is becoming available so rapidly today that a clear decision between these alternatives may be possible within the next few years.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/9503020,
title = {Status of Cosmological Parameters: Can $\Omega=1$?},
author = {Joel R. Primack},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/9503020},
year = {2016}
}
Comments
14 pages, uuencoded compressed .ps file; revised: typos corrected.