Related papers: The cosmological singularity problem
Quantum gravity has matured over the last decade to a theory which can tell in a precise and explicit way how cosmological singularities of general relativity are removed. A branch of the universe "before" the classical big bang is obtained…
The topic of cosmic strings provides a bridge between the physics of the very small and the very large. They are predicted by some unified theories of particle interactions. If they exist, they may help to explain some of the largest-scale…
Recent observations suggest that the cosmological equation-of-state parameter w is close to -1. To say this is to imply that w could be slightly less than -1, which leads to R.Caldwell's "Phantom cosmologies". These often have the property…
We study the time evolution of a $3+1$ dimensional spacetime, where space is a large three-sphere, due to small perturbations of the background fields. We focus on two classes of deformations. One corresponds on the worldsheet to…
The AdS/CFT correspondence is developed from classical solutions on AdS_5 with two boundaries. The corresponding limits and the reduction of degrees of freedom are discussed, as well as the required renormalization on the field theory side.…
Based on concepts drawn from the ekpyrotic scenario and M-theory, we elaborate our recent proposal of a cyclic model of the Universe. In this model, the Universe undergoes an endless sequence of cosmic epochs which begin with the Universe…
In [1] a new cosmological model is proposed with no big bang singularity in the past, though past geodesically incomplete. This model starts with an inflationary era, follows with a stiff matter dominated period and evolves to accelerated…
We propose a new cosmological paradigm in which our observed expanding phase is originated from an initially large contracting Universe that subsequently experienced a bounce. This category of models, being geodesically complete, is…
In spite of successful tests, the standard cosmological model, the $\Lambda$CDM model, possesses the most problematic concept: the initial singularity, also known as the big bang. In this paper---by adopting the Kantian difference between…
We describe a class of holographic models that may describe the physics of certain four-dimensional big-bang / big-crunch cosmologies. The construction involves a pair of 3D Euclidean holographic CFTs each on a homogeneous and isotropic…
According to classical GR, Anti-de Sitter (AdS) bubbles in the multiverse terminate in big crunch singularities. It has been conjectured, however, that the fundamental theory may resolve these singularities and replace them by nonsingular…
We discuss aspects of the holographic description of crunching AdS cosmologies. We argue that crunching FRW models with hyperbolic spatial sections are dual to semiclassical condensates in deformed de Sitter CFTs. De Sitter-invariant…
Recent combined analyses of the CMB and galaxy cluster data reveal unexpectedly large and anisotropic peculiar velocity fields at large scales. We study cosmic models with included vorticity, acceleration and total angular momentum of the…
In this review article, we first discuss a possible regularization of the big bang curvature singularity of the standard Friedmann cosmology, where the curvature singularity is replaced by a spacetime defect. We then consider the hypothesis…
We evaluate the physical viability and logical strength of an array of putative criteria for big bang singularity resolution in quantum cosmology. Based on this analysis, we propose a mutually consistent set of constitutive conditions,…
We discuss the cosmological constant problem in the light of dilatation symmetry and its possible anomaly. For dilatation symmetric quantum theories realistic asymptotic cosmology is obtained provided the effective potential has a…
A bounce universe model, known as the coupled-scalar-tachyon bounce (CSTB) universe, has been shown to solve the Horizon, Flatness and Homogeneity problems as well as the Big Bang Singularity problem. Furthermore a scale invariant spectrum…
The singularity structure of cosmological models whose matter content consists of a scalar field with arbitrary non-negative potential is discussed. The special case of spatially flat FRW space-time is analysed in detail using a dynamical…
We derive the matching conditions for cosmological perturbations in a Friedmann Universe where the equation of state undergoes a sharp jump, for instance as a result of a phase transition. The physics of the transition which is needed to…
We consider different scenarios of the evolution of the universe, where the singularities or some non-analyticities in the geometry of the spacetime are present, trying to answer the following question: is it possible to conserve some kind…