Related papers: Encoding cosmological futures with conformal struc…
Combining intervals of ekpyrotic (ultra-slow) contraction with a (non-singular) classical bounce naturally leads to a novel cyclic theory of the universe in which the Hubble parameter, energy density and temperature oscillate periodically,…
In this paper we discuss models satisfying the limiting curvature condition. For this purpose we modify the Einstein-Hilbert action by adding a term which restricts the growth of curvature. We analyze cosmological solutions in such models.…
The Weyl curvature hypothesis of Penrose attempts to explain the high homogeneity and isotropy, and the very low entropy of the early universe, by conjecturing the vanishing of the Weyl tensor at the Big-Bang singularity. In previous papers…
We consider different aspects of the problem of cosmological singularity such as the BKL oscillatory approach to the singularity, the new features of the cosmological dynamics in the neighbourhood of the singularity in multidimensional and…
Questions such as whether we live in a spatially finite universe, and what its shape and size may be, are among the fundamental open problems that high precision modern cosmology needs to resolve. These questions go beyond the scope of…
We show that a class of finite quantum non-local gravitational theories is conformally invariant at classical as well as at quantum level. This is actually a range of conformal anomaly-free theories in the spontaneously broken phase of the…
We investigate spherical, isothermal and polytropic steady accretion models in the presence of the cosmological constant. Exact solutions are found for three classes of isothermal fluids, assuming the test gas approximation. The…
We present an elementary account of mathematical cosmology through a series of important unsolved problems. We introduce the fundamental notion of `a cosmology' and focus on the issue of singularities as a theme unifying many current,…
The cosmological principle is fundamental to the standard cosmological model. It assumes that the Universe is homogeneous and isotropic on very large scales. As the basic assumption, it must stand the test of various observations. In this…
Measurements of CMB anisotropy and, more recently, polarization have played a very important role allowing precise determination of various parameters of the `standard' cosmological model. The expectation of the paradigm of inflation and…
We study the early-time behavior of isotropic and homogeneous solutions in vacuum as well as radiation-filled cosmological models in the full, effective, four dimensional gravity theory with higher derivatives. We use asymptotic methods to…
The early history of the universe might be described by a topological phase followed by a standard second phase of Einstein gravity. To study this scenario in its full generality, we consider a four-manifold of Euclidean signature in the…
The near-isotropy of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) is considered to be the strongest indication for the homogeneity and isotropy of the universe, a cornerstone of most cosmological analysis. We derive new theorems which extend the…
We construct an anisotropic Weyl invariant theory in the ADM formalism and discuss its cosmological consequences. It extends the original anisotropic Weyl invariance of Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz gravity using an extra scalar field. The action is…
Invited contribution to the Encyclopedia of Mathematical Physics (2nd edition), providing an overview over some main ideas and results in quantum cosmology. Key points: Canonical quantisation of homogeneous, isotropic cosmology; discussion…
The hypothesis that gravitational self-binding energy may be the source for the vacuum energy term of cosmology is studied in a Newtonian Ansatz. For spherical spaces the attractive force of gravitation and the negative pressure of the…
We review the most recent progress in our understanding of quantum mechanical observables in cosmology in the perturbative regime. It relies on an approach that considers them directly as functions of the data at the space-like boundary at…
We show the existence of an infinite family of finite-time singularities in isotropically expanding universes which obey the weak, strong, and dominant energy conditions. We show what new type of energy condition is needed to exclude them…
This paper explores exact cosmological solutions of anisotropic universe model through Noether symmetry technique in energy-momentum squared gravity. This theory resolves the primordial singularity and provides viable cosmological…
Despite its great successes in accounting for the current observations, the so called `standard' model of cosmology faces a number of fundamental unresolved questions. Paramount among these are those relating to the nature of the origin of…