Related papers: Errors in Estimating Omega_Lambda due to the Fluid…
While second and higher order correlations of the light distribution have received extensive study, the lowest order probability distribution function (PDF) -- the probability that a unit volume of space will emit a given amount of light --…
I present several simple figures to illustrate cosmology and structure formation in a nutshell. Then I discuss the following argument: if we assume that Omega_{Lambda} = 0 then the CMB results favor high Omega_{m} while the supernova…
With the era of precision cosmology upon us, and upcoming surveys expected to further improve the precision of our observations below the percent level, ensuring the accuracy of our theoretical cosmological model is of the utmost…
The cosmological constant ($\Lambda$), i.e., the energy density stored in the true vacuum state of all existing fields in the Universe, is the simplest and the most natural possibility to describe the current cosmic acceleration. However,…
The existence of 'peculiar' velocities due to the formation of cosmic structure marks a point of discord between the real Universe and the usually assumed Friedmann-Lema\'{i}tre-Robertson-Walker metric which accomodates only the smooth…
Observational constraints guide one forcefully to examine models in which the matter density is substantially less than critical density. Particularly noteworthy are those which are consistent with inflation. For these models, microwave…
Recent cosmic microwave background measurements combined with recent supernovae limits and other observational data have ambushed Omega_lambda and Omega_m. These cosmological culprits are trapped in a small pocket of parameter space:…
The following review presents an attempt to discuss various issues of current interest in Observational Cosmology, the selection of which as well as the emphasis given, reflects my own preference and biases. After presenting some…
Flat cosmological models with a cosmological constant on the order of the Einstein-de Sitter critical density are enigmatic in the sense that there does not appear to be any natural explanation for why there should be a cosmological…
Cosmological implications of the observed large-scale peculiar velocities are reviewed, alone or combined with redshift surveys and CMB data. The latest version of the POTENT method for reconstructing the underlying three-dimensional…
Modifications in Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) Hubble diagrams caused by mass density inhomogeneities are used to illustrate possible effects on a determination of the mass parameter $\Omega_m$ and the cosmological constant…
After reviewing the cosmological constant problem - why is Lambda not huge? - I outline the two basic approaches that had emerged by the late 1980s, and note that each made a clear prediction. Precision cosmological experiments now indicate…
The lensing effect of curved space, which can cause the angular diameter of a fixed reference length seen on the sky to reach a minimum and then increase with redshift, depends sensitively on the value of the cosmological constant,…
We consider a cosmology in which a spherically symmetric large scale inhomogeneous enhancement or a void are described by an inhomogeneous metric and Einstein's gravitational equations. For a flat matter dominated universe the inhomogeneous…
A wide range of large scale observations hint towards possible modifications on the standard cosmological model which is based on a homogeneous and isotropic universe with a small cosmological constant and matter. These observations, also…
For decades, the determination of the mean density of matter(Omega_M) has been tied to the distribution of light. This has led to a ``bias,'' perhaps as large as a factor of 2, in determining a key cosmological parameter. Recent…
I review the basic theory of the cosmic microwave background anisotropies in adiabatic cold dark matter cosmologies. The latest observational results on the CMB power spectrum are consistent with the simplest inflationary models and…
In this article we will consider several phenomenological models for the Universe with varying $G$ and $\Lambda(t)$, where $G$ is the gravitational "constant" and $\Lambda(t)$ is a varying cosmological "constant". Two-component fluid model…
In the context of a family os scalar-tensor theories with a dynamical $\Lambda$, that is a binomial on the scalar field, the cosmological equations are considered. A general barotropic state equation $p=(\gamma-1)\rho$, for a perfect fluid…
We show that a regression of unsmoothed peculiar velocity measurements against peculiar velocities predicted from a smoothed galaxy density field leads to a biased estimate of the cosmological density parameter Omega, even when galaxies…