Related papers: Can we avoid dark energy?
We discuss variants of Cold Dark Matter (CDM) dominated cosmological models that give good agreement with a range of observations. We consider models with hot dark matter, tilt, $\Omega < 1$, or a cosmological constant. We also discuss the…
A suggested solution to the dark energy problem is the void model, where accelerated expansion is replaced by Hubble-scale inhomogeneity. In these models, density perturbations grow on a radially inhomogeneous background. This large scale…
A fundamental presupposition of modern cosmology is the Copernican Principle; that we are not in a central, or otherwise special region of the Universe. Studies of Type Ia supernovae, together with the Copernican Principle, have led to the…
We investigate a set of cosmological models for which the primordial power spectrum has a large-scale power deficit. The standard power-law spectrum is subject to long-wavelength modifications described by some new parameters, resulting in…
A large number of recent observational data strongly suggest that we live in a flat, accelerating Universe composed of $\sim$ 1/3 of matter (baryonic + dark) and $\sim$ 2/3 of an exotic component with large negative pressure, usually named…
In the standard cosmological model, the dimming of distant Type Ia supernovae is explained by invoking the existence of repulsive `dark energy' which is causing the Hubble expansion to accelerate. However this may be an artifact of…
In this lecture note, I discuss why many of us are expecting rich physics at the TeV scale, drawing analogies from the history of physics in the last century. Then I review some of the possible candidates of new physics at this energy…
Baryon acoustic oscillations, measured through the patterned distribution of galaxies or other baryon tracing objects on very large (100 Mpc) scales, offer a possible geometric probe of cosmological distances. Pluses and minuses in this…
Explaining the well established observation that the expansion rate of the universe is apparently accelerating is one of the defining scientific problems of our age. Within the standard model of cosmology, the repulsive 'dark energy'…
The coupled dark energy model provides a possible approach to mitigate the coincidence problem of cosmological standard model. Here, the coupling term is assumed as $\bar{Q}=3H\xi_x\bar{\rho}_x$, which is related to the interaction rate and…
The blackbody nature of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation spectrum is used in a modern test of the Copernican Principle. The reionized universe serves as a mirror to reflect CMB photons, thereby permitting a view of ourselves…
We constrain two non-flat time-evolving dark energy cosmological models by using Hubble parameter data, Type Ia supernova apparent magnitude measurements, and baryonic acoustic oscillation peak length scale observations. The inclusion of…
It may be difficult to single out the best model of dark energy on the basis of the existing and planned cosmological observations, because many different models can lead to similar observational consequences. However, each particular model…
Observations of distances to Type-Ia supernovae can be explained by cosmological models that include either a gigaparsec-scale void, or a cosmic flow, without the need for Dark Energy. Instead of invoking dark energy, these inhomogeneous…
A range of experimental results point to the existence of a massive neutrino. The recent high precision measurements of the cosmic microwave background and the large scale surveys of galaxies can be used to place an upper bound on this…
Axions have emerged as compelling candidates for describing the dark sector of the Universe. In this work, we explore quintessence models inspired by axion-like potentials as a dynamical alternative to the cosmological constant. These…
We examine the cosmological and astrophysical signatures of a "dark baryon," a neutral fermion that mixes with the neutron. As the mixing is through a higher-dimensional operator at the quark level, production of the dark baryon at high…
Discoveries in the last few years have revolutionized our knowledge of the universe and our ideas of its ultimate fate. Measurements of the expansion of the universe show that it is not slowing down under normal gravity but accelerating due…
In this paper we use all available baryon acoustic oscillation, Hubble parameter, and quasar angular size data to constrain six dark energy cosmological models, both spatially flat and non-flat. Depending on the model and data combination…
Massive neutrinos were the first proposed, and remain the most natural, particle candidate for the dark matter. In the absence of firm laboratory evidence for neutrino mass, considerations of the formation of large scale structure in the…